PUBLIC   SCHOOL 
PENMANSHIP 


A  HANDBOOK  FOR  TEACHERS 


BY 

ALBERT  W.  CLARK 


Gm^  AND  COMPANY 

BOSTON  •  NEW  YORK  •  CHICAGO  •  LONDON 


L. 


'J 


COPYKIGHT,   1909 

By  albert  W.  CLARK 


ALL  RIGHTS   RESERVED 


Cbe   iatftengum   H^rtiti 

GINN  AND  COMPANY  •  PRO- 
PRIETORS •  BOSTON  •  U.S.A. 


L-C. 


PREFACE 

It  is  probable  that  most  teachers  understand  less  about 
the  fundamental  principles  of  chirography  than  they  do 
about  any  other  study  in  the  grade  curriculum.  Because  of 
this  lack  of  knowledge  the  majority  of  the  public  school 
profession  realize  their  inability  to  teach  writing  properly. 
They  will  correctly  give  it  as  the  most  important  reason  why 
the  class-room  penmanship  is  no  better. 

This  book  has  a  triple  purpose :  first,  to  unfold  enough  of 
the  theory  of  penmanship  to  educate  any  one  in  that  part  of 
the  subject ;  secondly,  to  suggest  what  to  teach  in  penmanship ; 
and  thirdly,  to  explain  how  penmanship  should  be  taught  in 
public  schools.  Were  it  not  for  the  explanation  of  the  theory 
the  book  would  be  of  small  assistance.  It  is  of  little  use  to 
repeat  what  should  be  done  to  teach  writing  unless  at  the 
same  time  the  teacher  acquires  a  better  preparation  for  her 
work.  To  this  end,  therefore,  the  instruction  here  given  is 
definite,  progressive,  and  constructive. 

The  last  part  of  the  book  contains  a  suggestive  course  of 
study  in  public  school  penmanship.  As  stated  in  that  chapter, 
for  various  reasons  no  arbitrary  plan  can  be  followed  with  the 
greatest  success.  The  directions  there  given  will,  in  many 
cases,  serve  as  a  basal  outline  for  the  teaching  indicated,  while 


iv  PREFACE 

in  other  instances  they  should  be  conformed  to  very  closely. 
It  is  in  keenly  perceiving  when  to  give  certain  instruction  that 
the  teacher  will  prove  her  ability  to  judge  the  present  status 
of  the  pupil's  work.  This  work  must  show  constant  improve- 
ment. Actual  attainment,  therefore,  is  the  sole  foundation  on 
which  to  build  the  next  more  advanced  practice. 

Finally,  what  is  here  set  forth  will  prove  of  no  value  unless 
the  teacher  reads  it  carefully,  and  intelligently  makes  its  state- 
ments a  part  of  her  instruction  to  the  pupils.  If  she  does 
this,  her  individuality  in  teaching  will  be  ideally  demon- 
strated. Too  much  should  not  be  attempted  at  any  time. 
It  is  better  to  read  a  little  and  assimilate  it.  Teach  that, 
and  develop  such  a  process  gradually.  If  this  is  done,  the 
teacher  can  stand  before  her  class  with  that  confidence 
which  is  born  of  definite  knowledge.  Such  assurance,  coupled 
with  enthusiasm,  that  indispensable  factor  in  teaching,  will 
cause  successful  results  to  be  the  outcome  of  every  writing 

^®^®°^-  ALBERT  W.  CLARK 

Melrose  Highlands.  Massachusetts 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  I 

Preparation  for  Writing 

PAGE 

Three  reasons  why  the  pupil  should  maintain  a  good  body  position , 

1.  To  preserve  good  eyesight 

2.  To  preserve  good  health 

3.  To  secure  convenience  in  writing 

Three  important  suggestions  offered  to  assist  the  teacher  in  this  work 

1.  Explain  the  benefits  accruing  from  a  good  body  position  .     .  2 

2.  See  that  the  pupils  maintain  a  hygienic  body  position  during 

all  desk  work 2 

3.  Give  frequent  periods  of  respite 2 

The  correct  or  hygienic  position  of  the  body 3 

1.  Sitting  near  the  desk 3 

2.  Placing  the  feet  squarely  on  the  floor 3 

3.  Sitting  erect 4 

4.  Arm  rest 4 

How  to  steady  the  paper 5 

Position  of  the  paper  while  writing 5 

Penholding 6 

Correct  penholding  described 7 

How  to  teach  correct  penholding 10 

1.  Teach  one  detail  at  a  time 10 

2.  Use  some  exercise  to  assist  in  this  detailed  study     ....  10 

How  to  teach  the  upright  position  of  the  hand 11 

How  to  tea?ch  the  third  and  fourth  finger-nail  rest 13 

How  to  teach  the  elevation  of  the  wrist 13 

How  to  teach  the  crossing  point  of  the  penholder  on  the  first  finger     ,  14 

How  the  penholder  is  held  against  the  second  finger  nail     ....  14 

How  to  correct  a  conical  position  of  the  first  finger    .     .     .     .     .     .  15 

How  to  correct  an  undue  curvature  of  the  first  two  fingers  and  thumb  15 


vi  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

PAGE 

Summary  of  correct  penholding 16 

1.  Place  your  right  hand  flat  on  the  desk   ........  17 

2.  Half  close  your  hand 18 

3.  Extend  your  first  and  second  fingers  and  thumb      ....  18 

4.  Take  your  pen  or  pencil 18 

How  to  teach  pen-and-ink  work .  19 

The  making  of  a  penwiper 20 

Pen-and-ink  work  should  be  taught  the  latter  part  of  the  second 

year 20 

How  to  use  the  blotter 20 


CHAPTER  II 
The  Study  of  the  Script 

During  the  process  of  writing  any  style  of  script,  its  downstrokes 

will  coincide  with  the  writer's  line  of  vision 21 

How  the  line  of  vision  will  help  the  teacher 22 

Obtaining  the  line  of  vision 22 

Application  of  the  line  of  vision  to  get  the  correct  position  of  the  book  24 

Application  of  the  line  of  vision  to  get  the  correct  position  of  the  paper  25 

Application  of  the  line  of  vision  to  the  slant  of  the  script    ....  26 

How  to  record  the  line  of  vision 26 

How  to  help  the  pupil  establish  the  axis  line  in  his  mind  ....  27 
How  to  draw  parallel  lines  which  represent  the  slant  of  a  particular 

script 27 

A  study  of  parallelism 28 

A  test  for  the  accuracy  of  parallelism 28 

The  axis-line  parallelism  applied  to  written  work 29 

How  to  teach  the  axis  line  and  its  application  in  first  and  second 

grades 30 

Place  a  sheet  of  paper  ruled  with  axis  lines  under  the  paper  on  which 

the  pupil  writes,  to  assist  him  in  acquiring  slant 31 

Angle  to  keep  paper  in  proper  position 31 

Blackboard  writing 32 

Directions  for  writing  on  the  board 33 

Teaching  forms  of  letters 36 

An  observed  lesson  in  penmanship 36 

The  teacher  should  thoroughly  acquaint  herself  with  the  technique 

which  she  is  to  teach 37 


CONTENTS  vii 

PAGE 

Four  things  to  teach  in  the  forms  of  capitals  and  small  letters      .     .  38 

1.  Teaching  from  basal  form  or  principle 38 

2.  Emphasizing  the  similarity  of  form  throughout  any  given 

class  of  letters 38 

3.  Giving  definite  and  specific  instruction  about  the  letter     .     .  38 

4.  Ascertaining  the  proportions  of  any  character  by  comparison  38 

Letters  should  be  taught  from  basal  forms  or  principles 39 

The  basal  forms  or  principles  and  the  letters  made  from  them      .     .  39 

Memory  lesson 39 

Similarity  in  forms  of  letters 40 

Primary  group  based  on  w 40 

Secondary  group  based  on  n 40 

Definitely  teaching  script  forms .  41 

Model  lesson  on  capital  D 42 

Study  and  comparison  of  work  by  pupils 43 

This  lesson  supposed  to  have  been  given  in  middle  or  upper  grades  .  46 

Instruction  should  be  modified  for  first  and  second  grades  ....  46 

Teaching  script  by  measurement  and  comparison 46 

Chart  showing  the  capitals,  small  letters,  and  figures,  measured  in 

height  and  width 47 

The  unit  for  measuring  the  width  of  letters 48 

The  unit  for  measuring  the  height  of  letters .48 

Construction  of  scVipt 49 

1.  The  oblique  line 49 

2.  The  basal  ellipse 49 

3.  The  curves  of  the  letters 49 

4.  The  angles  of  the  letters 50 

Script,  to  be  written  rapidly,  must  be  made  largely  of  separated  lines  50 

Supervision  of  first-grade  work 51 

Desk  work  for  first-grade  pupils 51 

How  to  teach  the  scale  of  script  . 51 

How  to  teach  the  length  of  parts  of  letters  extending  below  the  base 

line 53 

Code  of  rules  summarized  from  the  instruction  on  scale  of  script .     .  54 

When  to  teach  the  scale  of  script 55 

Teaching  the  numerals 55 

Measurements  of  the  figures 56 

1.  In  length ;  56 

2.  In  width 56 

Important  details  of  form  to  teach  in  the  capital  letters 56 


viii  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

PAGE 

The  evolution  of  the  capital  letters  from  the  basal  ellipse    ....  57 

iV  explained 57 

Jlf  explained 58 

V  explained 59 

U  explained 59 

TF  explained 60 

F  explained 60 

X  explained 61 

Z  explained  . 61 

Q  explained 62 

if  explained 63 

JT  explained 63 

P  explained 64 

B  explained 65 

B  explained 65 

r  explained 66 

I'' explained 66 

S  explained 67 

L  explained 67 

0  explained 68 

C  explained 68 

E  explained 69 

D  explained 41-43 

A  explained 69 

G  explained 70 

1  explained 70 

/explained .  71 

cfe  explained 71 

How  to  correct  angular  script 72 

What  to  do  with  left-handed  pupils 74 


CHAPTER  III 

Movement 

The  importance  of  movement 76 

Simplified  pedagogy 77 

1.  Movement  explained 77 

2.  Applied  movement 78 

3.  Technical  application  of  movement  to  geometrical  forms  .     .  79 


CONTENTS  ix 

PAGE 

4.  Practical  application  of  movement  to  written  forms      ...  79 

5.  Practical  application  of  movement  to  written  words      ...  80 
Three  things  in  movement  learned  by  the  pupil 80 

1.  What  is  meant  by  movement 80 

2.  That  every  letter  or  word  has  its  own  particular  movement  .  80 

3.  That  writing  is  applied  movement 80 

The  teacher  should  emphasize  two  facts 80 

1.  That  continued  drill  on  any  individual  movement  will  make 

its  execution  automatic 80 

2.  If  the  pupil  follows  these  suggestions,  he  will  write  and  not 

"carve"  his  words 80 

Class-room  conference  to  elucidate  elementary  movement    ....  80 

The  ideal  writing  motion 81 

Studying  the  movements  of  the  muscles 82 

1.  Feeling  the  muscle  and  its  vibratory  motion 82 

2.  Comparing  this  muscle  to  soft  rubber 83 

3.  Rolling  the  hand  on  a  cylindrical  form 83 

The  mechanics  of  movement 84 

How  the  technical  exercises  should  be  practiced    .......  84 

1.  The  lateral  slide 84 

Five  things  about  the  hand  to  be  observed  during  movement  practice  85 

2.  The  e  exercise 86 

3.  The  connected  ellipses 87 

A  light  touch  of  the  pen  necessary 88 

4.  The  repeated  ellipses  .    *. 89 

5.  The  continuous  ellipse 90 

The  successful  making  of  any  elliptical  exercise  depends  upon  the 

perfect  elliptical  revolution  of  the  hand 90 

6.  The  push-and-pull  exercise 92 

The  direction  of  motion  in  downstroke  of  push-and-pull  exercise .     .  92 

7.  How  these  separate  movements  are  combined  into  the  "  writing 

motion" 93 

8.  The  i  exercise 94 

9.  The  i  exercise  inverted 94 

10.  The  n  exercise 95 

The  basal-movement  exercises  few  in  number 96 


X  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

CHAPTER  IV 

Application  of  Movement 

PAGE 

How  to  use  the  tracing  process  to  explain  the  transmission  of  motion  98 

The  tracing  process  applied  to  making  the  ellipse 98 

Four  important  things  to  observe  when  teaching  transmission  of 

motion 99 

The  tracing  process  applied  to  letter  writing 99 

The  tracing  process  applied  to  word  writing 100 

The  tracing  process  applied  to  writing  capital  letters     .....  101 

How  to  help  the  pupil  always  to  use  applied  movement  in  writing  102 

Alternating  a  technical  exercise  with  written  work 102 

Object  of  so  doing 102 

Alternating  a  technical  exercise  with  word  writing 103 

Alternating  a  technical  exercise  in  sentence  writing 103 

Application  of  the  spacing  plan  across  the  entire  width  of  the  paper 

for  words  of  two  letters 103 

During  first  work  of  applied  movement  use  words  containing  only 

unit  letters 105 

Why  a  word  of  but  two  letters  should  be  written  during  first  work 

of  applied  movement 105 

Application  of  the  spacing  plan  across  the  entire  width  of  the  paper 

for  words  of  three  letters 105 

While  studying  applied  movement  by  the  spacing  plan  it  may  be 

helpful  to  first  develop  the  word  according  to  the  tracing  process  105 
In  all  applied-movement  practice  legibility  must  be  maintained  as 

facility  of  execution  increases 106 

The  spacing  plan  for  applied  movement  in  writing  words  of  four, 

five,  six,  seven,  and  eight  unit  letters 106 

Five  directions  for  teaching  applied  movement 107 

The  spacing  plan  for  word  writing  across  one  half  the  width  of  paper  107 
The  spacing  plan  for  word  writing  across  one  quarter  the  width  of 

paper 110 

Deficient  pupils  should  first  practice  applied  movement  on  the  board  110 
The  spacing  plan  applied  to  movement  in  sentence  writing  .  .  .  110 
Sentences  of  three  words,  each  containing  three  letters  ....  112 
Applied-movement  sentence  writing  without  mechanical  aid  .  .  .  113 
The  spacing  plan  applied  to  movement  in  writing  sentences  con- 
taining words  of  unequal  length ' 114 


CONTENTS  xi 

PAGE 

Application  of  the  spacing  plan  to  the  written  work  of  the  school   .  114 

1.  The  movement  applied  in  writing  geography 114 

Lessening  the  lateral  spacing  of  these  words 116 

2.  The  movement  applied  in  writing  history 117 

3.  The  movement  applied  in  writing  spelling 119 

4.  The  movement  applied  in  making  figures 120 

Counting 121 

The  speed  used  in  counting 121 

How  to  count 122 

Counting  for  a  writing  lesson  and  a  piano  lesson  the  same  in  prin- 
ciple    123 

When  to  count 125 

Speed  work 125 

The  speed  must  be  governed  by  three  things 126 

1.  The  pupil  must  use  applied  movement 126 

2.  He  must  write  easily  and  smoothly 126 

3.  He  must  form  his  letters  with  great  legibility 126 

CHAPTER  V 

Course  of  Study 

First  year's  work 129 

Second  year's  work 138 

Third  year's  work 141 

Fourth  year's  work 145 

Fifth  year's  work 148 

Sixth  year's  work 153 

Seventh  and  eighth  year's  work 157 

A  final  word  to  teachers .     .  160 


PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PE^MA^SHIP 

CHAPTEE  I 
PREPARATION   FOR  WRITING 

Position  of  the  Body  while  Writing 

There  are  three  important  reasons  why  the  pupil  should 
maintain  a  good  body  position  when  sitting  at  the  desk  to 
write : 

1.  To  preserve  good  eyesight.  No  pupil  can  continually 
keep  his  eyes  close  to  the  paper  without  tending  to  become 
nearsighted. 

2.  To  preserve  good  health.  No  pupil  can  constantly  sit 
bent  over  the  edge  of  the  desk,  with  his  chest  hollowed  in, 
and  at  the  same  time  breathe  freely  and  deeply.  Such  a 
posture  would  be  detrimental  to  good  health. 

3.  To  secure  convenience  in  writing.  No  pupil  can  sit  in 
a  cramped  or  stooped  position  and  find  it  conducive  to  ease 
and  convenience  during  protracted  periods  of  written  work. 
When  the  teacher  asks  her  pupils  to  sit  properly  at  their 
desks,  they  think  she  wishes  the  general  appearance  of  the 
room  to  be  thereby  improved.  Such  a  thought  does  not 
always  inspire  the  stimulus  necessary  to  accomplish  the 
desired  end. 

,    These  very  important  suggestions  are  offered  for  the  as- 
sistance of  the  teacher  in  this  particular  work: 


2  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

1.  Talk  V  ilk  the  pupils  and  explain  the  benefits  accruing 
from  a  good  body  position. , 

When  developing  this  or  any  new  line  of  study,  the  teacher 
should  try  to  help  them  to  see  the  end  from  the  beginning,  and 
just  how  such  instruction  and  training  will  affect  them  indi- 
vidually. Taking  the  pupils  into  the  teacher's  confidence  will 
first,  oftentimes,  cause  them  to  think ;  secondly,  it  will  furnish 
them  an  incentive  to  work;  and  thirdly,  it  will  frequently 
give  them  more  courage  in  the  difficult  task  of  application. 

2.  See  that  the  pupils  maintain  a  hygienic  body  position 
during  all  desk  work. 

To  make  sure  of  a  good  body  posture  during  the  writing 
lesson  the  teacher  should  insist  upon  a  hygienic  position 
of  the  pupil  during  all  the  other  hours  of  the  school  day. 
Remarkable  as  it  is,  an  unhygienic  attitude  is  infrequently 
noticed  until  the  writing  period  occurs.  Then  the  teacher 
will  say  to  the  class :  "  Why,  children,  what  would  the  super- 
intendent say  if  he  should  come  in  now  ?  He  would  think  that 
you  were  writing  with  your  noses.  Do  sit  up."  The  reference 
to  this  much-beloved  school  official,  as  well  as  the  pleading 
tone  of  the  voice,  have  their  effect  in  straightening  up  the 
pupils  for  a  while ;  then  they  lapse  and  bend  over  their  desks 
as  if  they  had  been  afflicted  with  chronic  rheumatism  from 
birth.  On  the  other  hand,  if  pupils  maintam  the  hygienic 
position  in  which  they  should  sit  during  their  regular  seat 
work,  the  result  will  be  a  wonderful  improvement  of  the 
body  posture  during  the  writing  hour. 

3.  Give  frequent  periods  of  respite. 

As  a  means  of  obtaining  a  better  body  position  nothing 
is  of  greater  value  than  frequent  periods  of  rest  between 
recitations.   A  change  of  air  in  the  room  and  a  few  exercises 


PREPARATION  FOR  WRITING 


3 


in  physical  culture  will  not  consume  more  than  sixty  seconds. 
The  air,  exercise,  and  change  of  thought  will  so  revive  the 
pupils  as  to  cause  the  teacher  to  feel  that  she  has  a  different 
class  in  the  room. 

The  correct  or  hygienic  position  of  the  body 

The  hygienic 
position  of  the 
body  while  writ- 
ing calls  for  four 
things  : 

1.  Sitting  near 
the  desk.  The 
pupil  should  face 
the  desk  and  be 
near  it  withpiit 
leaning  against  it. 
In  deciding  how 
near  it  to  sit,  have 
him  turn  his  right 
hand  so  that  the 
back  of  it  forms  a 
right  angle  with 
the  top  surface  of 
the  desk.  In  this 
position  he  should 
be  able  to  move  ^^^'  1 

his  hand  up  and  down  between  the  front  edge  of  the  desk 
and  his  clothing  without  touching  either. 

2.  Placing  the  feet  squarely  on  the  floor.    Both  feet  should 
be  placed  squarely  on  the  floor  under  the  desk.    The  child 


4  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

should  not  be  required  to  sit  with  his  heels  together  in  mili- 
tary precision.  This  restrains  and  irritates  him.  If  he  keeps 
his  feet  flat  on  the  floor  under  the  desk,  he  should  be  allowed 
to  change  their  position.  Such  a  change  is  restful,  especially 
to  one  who  is  inclined  to  be  nervous. 

3.  Sitting  erect.  The  pupil  should  sit  upright,  with  his 
shoulders  thrown  well  back.  If  it  is  necessary  for  him  to 
incline  forward  because  of  nonadjustable  school  furniture 
or  for  other  reasons,  he  should  bend  the  body  at  the  hips 
so  that  he  may  properly  focus  his  eyes  on  the  writing.  A 
good  rule,  the  statement  of  which  sometimes  amuses  the 
children,  is  to  sit  so  that  the  end  of  the  nose  is  two  pen- 
holders' length  from  the  paper.  Unless  it  is  noticed  that 
there  are  unusually  short  noses  in  the  class  or  that  too 
many  luncheons  have  been  taken  from  the  tops  of  the  pen- 
holders, this  rule  should  be  strictly  followed. 

4.  Arm  rest.  Both  forearms  should  rest  lightly  on  the 
desk.  To  assist  the  pupil  in  doing  this  properly,  instruct 
him  as  follows: 

a.  Ask  him  to  drop  his  arms  at  his  sides.  His  hands  will 
naturally  half  close,  as  is  the  case  when  one  is  standing. 

h.  The  hands  thus  partially  closed,  instruct  him  to  place 
his  elbows  on  top  of  the  desk.  The  right  elbow  should  be 
near  the  lower  right-hand  corner  of  the  desk,  and  the  left 
elbow  should  be  near  the  lower  left-hand  corner.  The  hands 
should  point  upwards  with  their  hacks  toward  the  pupil. 

c.  Ask  him  to  drop  his  forearms  to  the  desk,  allowing  the 
hands  to  rest  near  each  other. 

If  he  has  followed  the  directions  correctly,  it  wiU  be 
noticed  first  that,  the  muscle  of  each  forearm  is  properly 
placed  for  the  arm  rest.   Note   particularly  that  the  right 


PREPARATION  FOR  WRITING  5 

forearm  muscle  is  now  resting  upon  a  flat  surface  and  not 
oscillating  over  the  edge  of  the  desk.  Secondly,  it  will  be 
seen  that  the  right  hand  is  placed  in  a  convenient  position 
to  receive  the  pen,  while  the  left  hand  is  placed  in  a  favorable 
position  to  keep  the  paper  from  moving. 

How  to  steady  the  paper 

The  paper  should  be  held  in  position  with  the  tips  of 
the  fingers  of  the  left  hand.  Pupils  frequently  place  the 
whole  of  this  hand  upon  the  paper,  —  a  habit  that  should 
be  corrected.  The  oil  in  the  perspiration  will  easily  be  trans- 
ferred to  the  paper,  and,  when  the  pupil  tries  to  write  over 
the  place  where  his  hand  has  rested,  the  paper  will  not  absorb 
the  ink,  which  cannot  penetrate  this  oil.  It  is  because  of 
this  fact  that  a  boy  will  often  say,  "  My  pen  ain't  no  good." 
In  many  cases  the  difficulty  is  not  with  the  pen  but  with 
the  paper,  as  above  explained. 

Position  of  the  paper  while  writing 

The  position  of  the  paper  while  writing  will  be  considered 
in  greater  detail  later  on,  in  connection  with  other  matters. 
For  this  reason  all  that  it  is  necessary  to  say  here  can  be 
stated  in  a  few  words. 

If  a  script  slanting  25°  to  the  right  of  vertical  is  desired, 
turn  the  paper  so  that  its  top  edge  will  tilt  toward  the  left 
until  its  bottom  edge  forms  an  angle  of  25°  with  the  front 
edge  of  the  desk,  or  an  imaginary  line  running  parallel  to  it. 
How  this  exact  position  may  be  taught  and  acquired,  whether 
for  the  purpose  of  reproducing  a  script  of  this  slant  or  simply 
for  the  purpose  of  approximating  it  as  a  standard,  will  be  ex- 
plained, beginning  on  page  25  of  this  book. 


6  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

Penholding 

There  is  no  part  of  the  work  which  the  teacher  of  penman- 
ship dreads  more  than  teaching  penholding.  This  is  so  par- 
ticularly in  the  middle  and  upper  grades,  unless  the  pupil  has 
acquired  a  good  manner  of  holding  the  pen  in  the  classes 
below.  In  any  grade  above  the  first  the  dread  of  teaching 
this  subject  is  probably  due  to  a  mistake  of  the  child's  first 
teacher.  Such  an  error  may  bring  long-continued  misfortune 
to  a  child  as  well  as  to  his  future  teachers,  and  may  cause 
them  to  believe  that  it  is  impossible  for  public  school  chil- 
dren to  learn  how  to  hold  the  pen  correctly. 

In  order  to  ascertain  how  the  mistake  may  be  made,  the 
essentials  of  a  first  writing  lesson,  such  as  in  some  instances 
is  given  to  a  young  pupil,  may  be  interesting  to  review. 

Teacher.  (Item  No.  1)  "Johnny,  you  are  going  to  write. 
You  will  sit  just  so  "  (properly  placing  him  before  his  desk). 
(Item  No.  2)  "  Johnny,  you  are  to  keep  your  paper  on  the 
desk  just  so"  (properly  placing  the  paper).  (Item  No.  3) 
"  Johnny,  you  are  to  hold  your  pencil  just  so.  Won't  that 
be  splendid  ? "  (properly  placing  the  pencil  in  Johnny's  hand). 
Thus  far  the  little  fellow  has  been  taught  (?)  three  things: 
the  first  of  these,  the  body  position,  involves  four  details,  and 
the  last,  penholding,  includes  seven  details  about  which  to  be 
careful.  All  of  this  important  instruction  has  probably  been 
given  within  five  minutes.  The  teacher  then  turns  to  the 
board  and  makes  and  teaches  either  small  i  or  some  short 
word,  which  comprises  the  fourth  item  of  instruction.  Which 
one  of  the  four  things  taught  will  engage  the  special  interest 
of  the  child  ?  Writing  his  copy.  Where  was  the  mistake  ? 
In  teaching  too  much  for  the  first  lesson,  and  particularly  in 


PREPARATION  FOR  WRITING  7 

asking  him  to  write,  without  first  taking  sufficient  time  to 
help  him  fix  in  liis  mind  the  details  of  the  writing  process. 
Many  a  teacher  has  said:  "The  boy  writes,  if  he  does  not 
hold  his  pen  correctly.  Kesults  are  what  we  want.  Wliy, 
then,  is  it  necessary  to  teach  him  the  correct  position  of  the 
liand  ? "  The  fallacy  of  such  reasoning  may  be  aptly  illus- 
trated by  the  following  incident  from  the  author's  life.  When 
a  boy  in  school  he  was  given  an  example  to  perform.  He  did 
his  work,  looked  in  the  back  of  the  arithmetic,  and  found  he 
had  the  correct  answer  to  the  problem.  He  remembers  well 
how  proudly  he  walked  to  the  teacher's  desk,  expecting  some 
word  of  approval.  To  his  utter  dismay,  the  problem  was  pro- 
nounced wrong.  By  some  juggling  of  figures  he  had  attained 
the  right  answer,  but  the  work  was  wrong  because  the  process 
was  wrong.  Every  teacher  who  is  reading  this  book  has  had 
similar  experiences  in  the  class  room.  In  connection  with 
the  above  incident  no  one  would  argue,  as  in  the  matter  of 
penholding:  "The  boy  got  his  correct  answer.  Results  are 
what  we  want.  Why  teach  him  a  different  process  ?  "  When 
one  considers  the  education  of  the  child  such  reasoning  is 
absurd  in  either  case. 

Good  penholding  can  be  acquired  by  public  school  chil- 
dren, and  become  so  much  of  a  haint  that  they  will  hold  both 
pen  and  pencil  in  the  same  position  for  all  written  work. 

Correct  penholding 

The  pen  should  be  held  between  the  first  and  second  fin- 
gers and  the  thumb. 

1.  It  should  cross  the  second  finger  at  the  corner  of 
the  nail. 

2.  It  should  cross  the  first  finger  close  to  the  middle  joint. 


8 


PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 


3.  The  thumb  should  bend  outward  at  its  first  joint,  and 
the  end  of  it  should  touch  the  penholder  opposite  the  first 
joint  of  the  first  finger. 

4.  The  forearm  should  rest  lightly  on  its  muscle,  as  has 
been  shown  in  describing  the  body  position  on  page  4. 


Fig.  2 


5.  The  wrist  should  be  raised  slightly  above  the  desk. 

6.  The  hand  should  rest  on  the  tips  of  the  third  and 
fourth  finger  nails. 

7.  The  top  of  the  penholder  should  point  in  a  line  up  the 
forearm  and  over  the  elbow,  or  between  the  elbow  and  the 
shoulder. 


PREPARATION  FOR  WRITING  ^       9 

Fig.  2  illustrates  the  details  of  correct  penholding  as  seen  from 
the  right  side  of  the  hand.  The  following  points  should  be  noticed: 
the  natural  curvature  of  the  first  two  fingers,  where  the  penholder 
rests  at  the  corner  of  the  second  finger  nail,  where  the  penholder 
crosses  the  first  finger,  where  the  second  and  third  fingers  separate, 


the  third  and  fourth  finger-nail  hand  rest,  the  elevated  wrist,  and 
the  fact  that  the  top  of  the  wrist  is  nearly  level.  It  should  also  be 
noticed  that  the  muscle  of  the  forearm  rests  on  the  desk  and  that 
the  elbow  is  near  the  front  edge  of  the  desk. 

An  explanation  must  be  made.    To  bring  out  clearly  the  details 
just  mentioned  it  was  necessary  to  point  the  camera  at  right  angles 


10  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

to  the  riglit  side  of  the  hand.  In  so  doing  it  makes  tlie  top  of  the 
boy's  penholder  point  to  his  chin.  The  teacher,  however,  must  not 
be  misled  in  this  particular,  for  this  penholder  actually  pointed  the 
same  for  this  picture  as  is  shown  in  Fig.  1,  page  3,  and  as  is  also  shown 
in  the  cut  next  following.  The  direction  in  which  the  penholder  should 
point  properly  could  not  be  correctly  delineated  and  the  other  details 
emphasized  in  the  same  picture. 

Fig.  3  illustrates  the  top  and  the  left  side  of  the  hand  and  wrist 
as  the  writer  looks  down  upon  them.  In  studying  this  picture  it 
should  be  noticed  that  the  boy  sat  near  to  the  desk,  but  his  cloth- 
ing did  not  touch  it ;  that  the  right  forearm  is  at  right  angles  to  the 
writing  lines;  that  the  forearm  is  resting  on  the  muscle  near  the 
elbow ;  that  the  pencil  crosses  the  first  finger  between  the  knuckle 
and  the  middle  joint;  that  the  first  finger,  from  the  middle  joint  to 
the  end,  rests  on  the  pencil  (which  precludes  the  possibility  of  a 
conical  position  of  the  first  finger);  that  the  thumb  bends  outward 
at  its  first  joint,  while  the  end  of  the  thumb  touches  the  pencil 
opposite  and  a  little  under  the  first  joint  of  the  first  finger ;  that  the 
top  of  the  pencil  points  to  the  arm  a  little  above  the  elbow,  and  that 
the  top  of  the  wrist  is  nearly  level. 

The  angle  of  the  paper  should  also  be  noticed.  This  paper  is  placed 
properly  for  writing  a  script  which  slants  25°  to  the  right  of  vertical. 

The  tips  of  the  fingers  of  the  left  hand  should  properly  hold  this 
paper  in  position  on  the  desk. 

How  to  teach  correct  penholding 

To  teach  correct  penholding  successfully  two  tilings  should 
be  done : 

1.  In  the  pupil's  study  the  seven  details  noted  above  should 
be  developed  one  at  a  time. 

2.  Some  exercise  should  be  used  to  assist  in  this  detailed 
development  of  study. 

Note.  It  is  suggested  that  the  seven  details  of  correct  penhold- 
ing be  taught  in  the  order  of  their  importance,  and  the  following 
instruction  is  given  from  that  point  of  view. 


PREPARATION  FOR  WRITING  11 

The  upright  position  of  the  hand.  The  position  of  the  hand 
is  determined  by  the  direction  in  which  the  top  of  the  "pen- 
holder points.  Explain  to  the  child  that  the  desired  direction 
is  represented  by  an  imaginary  line  which  would  extend  up 
the  forearm  and  over  the  elbow,  or  between  the  elbow  and  the 
shoulder.  To  teach  tliis  detail  it  is  sometimes  well  to  let  the 
pupil  hold  a  twelve-inch  ruler  in  his  hand  as  he  would  a  pen. 
Such  a  ruler  is  commonly  supplied  for  drawing;  it  is  thin 
and  narrow,  and  the  thin  edge  can  be  easily  held  between  the 
thumb  and  fingers.  Because  of  the  extra  length  of  the  ruler, 
the  pupil  can  get  a  much  better  idea  of  exactly  how  the  top 
of  the  penholder  should  point,  than  he  would  from  beginning 
his  practice  by  holding  either  penholder  or  pencil. 

a.  When  this  explanation  is  understood  and  the  child 
holds  the  penholder  or  pencil  accordingly,  ask  him  to  lift 
his  forearm  on  his  ell)ow  in  the  direction  in  wliicli  the  pen- 
holder points,  until  the  top  of  the  penholder  is  vertically  over 
the  elbow  or  between  the  elbow  and  the  shoulder.  Then  ask 
liim  to  drop  his  hand  again  to  the  desk.  Have  him  continue 
this  practice  briskly  for  ten  or  fifteen  seconds. 

h.  Place  the  pupil's  hand  in  the  proper  upright  position  at 
the  left  edge  of  the  paper  and  ask  him  to  move  it  halfway 
across  the  page.  Assuming  that  the  hand  is  still  in  the  cor- 
rect upright  position,  ask  him  to  practice  lifting  his  arm  on 
his  elbow  as  above  described. 

c.  Ask  the  pupil  to  write  a  part  or  the  whole  of  a  line  on  his 
paper.  During  this  exercise  teach  him  to  study  the  upright 
position  of  his  hand  rather  than  the  letters  which  he  is  making. 

d.  When  the  line  is  written  ask  him  to  hold  his  hand  still 
in  the  exact  position  it  was  in  when  it  readied  the  right-hand 
side  of  the  paper.    Ask  him  to  lift  his  arm  on  the  elbow  in 


12  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

whatever  direction  the  penholder  may  then  point.  In  this 
way  he  can  learn  whether  his  hand  has  rolled  over  on  its  side 
while  he  was  writing. 

Fig.  4  represents  the  exercise  of  Hfting  and  lowering  the  hand 
in  the  direction  indicated  by  the  top  of  the  penholder.  The  right 
forearm  is  placed  properly  for  writing,  as  explained  in  paragraph  4, 


Fig.  4 

page  4.  The  hand  is  then  lifted  through  the  middle  position  to  the 
highest  position  shown  in  the  illustration,  and  the  forearm  rests  on 
the  elbow  at  the  front  edge  of  the  desk.  If  a  vertical  line  should  be 
drawn  downward  from  the  top  of  the  penholder  in  the  hand  highest 
from  the  desk,  this  line  would  touch  the  right  arm  just  above  the 
elbow.  This  is  the  place  to  which  the  top  of  the  penholder  or  pencil 
should  always  point  during  the  exercise  of  lifting  and  lowering  the 
hand.    The  exercise  should  be  practiced  briskly. 


PREPARATION  FOR  WRITING  13 

e.  Continue  such  practice  until  it  is  natural  for  the  pupil 
not  only  to  move  his  right  hand  in  the  upright  position  across 
the  paper,  but  to  write  in  the  same  manner.  This  drill  results 
in  training  him  in  this  detail  of  correct  penholding  so  that  it 
becomes  a  habit  for  him  to  hold  his  hand  upright  whenever 
he  takes  his  pen  or  pencil  to  write. 

The  third  and  fourth  finger-nail  rest.  Next  in  order  of 
importance  teach  the  third  and  fourth  finger-nail  rest  for  the 
hand.    Use  the  following  exercise. 

a.  Have  the  pupil  place  his  right  hand  flat  on  the  desk. 
See  Fig.  8,  page  17. 

h.  Ask  him  to  half  close  this  hand  so  that  the  tips  of  all 
four  finger  nails  touch  the  desk.    See  Fig.  9,  page  17. 

c.  Have  him  extend  the  first  two  fingers  and  the  thumb  as 
they  would  be  extended  when  holding  the  pen.  This  leaves 
the  third  and  fourth  finger  nails  touching  the  desk  in  posi- 
tion for  the  desired  hand  rest.    See  Fig.  10,  page  18. 

Repeat  these  exercises  until  the  pupil  fully  understands 
where  the  hand  rest  is  and  can  use  it  whenever  he  writes. 

Elevation  of  the  wrist.  Next  the  elevated  wrist  should  be 
taught.  If  this  matter  has  not  been  emphasized  and  the  pupil 
is  asked  to  lift  his  wrist  while  writing,  he  will  almost  always 
take  his  elbow  off  the  desk  in  order  to  do  so.  Show  him,  by 
using  the  following  exercise,  that  there  is  no  need  of  remov- 
ing his  elbow. 

a.  Ask  him  to  hold  his  hand  in  the  upright  position,  rest- 
ing it  on  the  finger  nails  as  above  described. 

h.  If  the  wrist  touches  the  desk,  he  should  practice  raising 
and  dropping  the  wrist,  all  the  time  keeping  the  muscle  rest 
of  the  arm  in  its  proper  place  on  the  desk.  When  the  pupil 
finds  that  he  can  lift  the  wrist  without  taking  his  whole  arm 


14 


PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 


from  the  desk,  it  will  be  an  easy  matter  for  liim  to  apply  this 
detail  of  correct  penholding. 

In  Fig.  5  the  correct  position  is  shown  by  the  solid  hand.  If  the 
pupil  incorrectly  lowers  his  wrist  or  the  under  part  of  the  hand  to 
the  desk,  as  represented  by  the  shadow,  he  should  practice  lifting 
and  dropping  the  wrist,  as  indicated  by  the  bottom  of  it  in  the  solid 
hand  and  the  top  of  it  in  the  shadow.  This  will  train  him  to  keep 
his  wrist  above  the  paper  while  writing,  as  well  as  to  keep  it  flexible. 


Fig.  5 


The  crossing  point  of  the  penholder  on  the  first  fi^nger. 
The  proper  crossmg  point  of  the  penholder  on  the  first  finger 
should  now  be  taught.  Ask  the  pupil  to  place  the  first  finger 
of  his  left  hand  on  the  first  finger  of  his  right  hand,  back  of 
the  penholder  and  in  front  of  the  knuckle.  Thus  the  pupil 
will  assure  himself  that  the  penholder  crosses  his  first  finger 
where  it  should.    See  Fig.  6. 

How  the  penholder  is  held  against  the  second  finger  nail. 
The  pen  must  not  be  held  against  the  end  of  the  finger. 
To  illustrate  how  the  penholder  is  kept  in  position  against 


PREPARATION  FOR  WRITING 


15 


the  corner  of  the  second  finger  nail,  ask  the  pupil  to  hold  his 
pen  correctly  between  the  first  and  second  fingers  and  the 
thumb.  Then  ask  him  to  raise  his  first  finger  from  the  pen- 
holder. As  he  does  so,  he  realizes  that  it  is  a  slight  pressure 
of  the  thumb  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  penholder  which 


keeps  it  in  position  against  the  corner  of  the  second  finger 
nail.  This  exercise  is  intended  to  offset  the  usual  unnecessary 
grip  of  the  first  and  second  fingers  and  the  thumb  (see  Fig.  7). 

How  to  correct  a  conical  position  of  the  first  finger.  To 
correct  such  an  error,  show  the  pupil  that  the  first  finger, 
from  its  middle  joint  to  the  end,  should  rest  on  the  pen- 
holder. Drill  on  this  point.  If  it  be  necessary,  place  for  a 
short  time  a  small  elastic  band  around  both  penholder  and 
first  finger,  between  the  first  and  the  middle  joint. 

How  to  correct  an  undue  curvature  of  the  first  two  fingers 
and  thumb.    To  correct  this  error  be  certain  that  the  pen 


16 


PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 


point  is  at  least  three  quarters  of  an  inch  below  the  end  of 
the  second  finger.  If  there  should  be  less  space  between 
these  points,  the  pupil  would  naturally  curve  his  fingers  to 
keep  them  from  dragging  on  the  paper..  To  avoid  such  a 
necessity  he  should  push  his  penholder  farther  down  and  at  the 
same  time  curve  his  fingers  as  is  illustrated  in  Fig.  2,  page  8. 


Fig.  7 


Both  pencil  and  pen  must  be  held  in  the  same  manner.  In 
developing  the  different  parts  of  correct  penholding,  as  previ- 
ously explained,  it  is  well,  in  grades  where  both  are  used,  to 
alternate  in  practice,  first  using  the  pencil  and  then  the  pen. 
This  interchangeable  drill  will  train  pupils  to  hold  each 
correctly. 

Summary  of  correct  penholding 

In  order  to  sum  up  the  instruction  on  correct  penholding, 
it  is  suggested  that  the  teacher  use  tlie  following  scheme : 


PREPARATION  FOR  WRITING 


17 


Fig.  8 
1.  Place  your  right  hand  flat  on  the  desk. 

a.  The  back  of  the  hand  will  now  face  the 
ceiling,  laying  the  foundation  for  the 
desired  upright  position. 
h.  If  the  hand  is  flat,  the  wrist  is  certain  to 
be  slightly  raised.  It  is  impossible  to 
have  the  hand  flat  and  the  wrist  touch 
the  desk  at  the  same  time.  Thus  is 
laid  the  foundation  for  a  raised  wrist 
while  writing^. 


Results 
Accomplished 


Fig.  9 


18 


PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 


2.  Half  close  your  hand  so  that  the  tips  of  all  four  finger 
nails  shall  touch  the  desk,  and  at  the  same  time  raise  the 
wrist  slightly. 

a.  The  back  of  the  hand  still  faces  tlie  ceil- 
ing, assuring  an  upright  position  of  the 
Eesults       J  hand. 

Accomplished  |  b.  The  wrist  is  raised. 

c.  The  third  and  fourth  finger  nails  are  in 
the  correct  position  to  form  a  hand  rest. 


Fig.  Ill 


3.  Extend  your  first  and  second  fingers  and  the  thumb, 
thus  'placing  them  in  position  to  receive  either  pen  or  pencil. 

a.  The  hand  is  in  an  upright  position. 

b.  The  wrist  is  elevated. 
Results          g.  The  third  and  fourth  finger  nails  are  in 

Accomplished  I  the  correct  position  to  form  a  hand  rest. 

d.  The  first  two  fingers  and  thumb  are  in 
position  to  receive  the  pen. 

4.  Take  your  pen  or  pencil. 


PREPARATION  FOR  WRITING  19 

How  to  teach  pen-and-ink  work 

The  average  teacher  hesitates  to  attempt  pen-and-ink  work 
because  she  fears  the  usual  baptism  of  ink  for  the  pupil. 
Both  the  fear  and  the  immersion  are  unnecessary  if  the  follow- 
ing directions  are  carried  out : 

1.  Sketch  a  pen  on  the  board  and  call  attention  to  the  hole 
in  it.  For  young  pupils  it  may  be  well  to  name  this  the 
"window"  of  the  pen.  Ask  them  to  hold  it  up  and  look 
through  it. 

2.  In  the  picture  of  a  pen  on  the  board,  draw  a  horizontal 
line  across  the  bottom  of  the  "  window "  and  tell  the  chil- 
dren they  are  to  dip  the  pen  point  into  the  liquid  only  to 
the  depth  that  is  represented  by  this  line. 

3.  Let  the  pupils  practice  this  last  suggestion.  Go  around 
the  room  with  a  small  bottle  of  clear  water,  asking  each  child 
to  dip  his  pen  into  it  several  times,  as  far  as  the  bottom  of 
its  "  window." 

4.  After  each  dip  give  him  time  to  look  at  his  pen  to 
assure  himself  that  he  has  not  put  it  down  too  far  into  the 
water. 

5.  Having  learned  in  this  way  how  to  dip  his  pen,  the 
pupil  should  next  dip  it  in  his  ink-well  and  write.  It  may, 
however,  require  several  lessons  on  the  work  above  out- 
lined before  the  teacher  considers  it  safe  to  let  the  young 
pupil  use  ink. 

6.  Before  this  lesson  is  given,  each  pupil  must  be  supplied 
with  a  penwiper,  and  he  should  wipe  his  pen  after  each  in- 
spection called  for  in  paragraph  4.  The  proper  care  of  the  pen 
should  be  taught  at  the  same  time  instruction  is  given  in  the 
use  of  ink. 


20  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

Note.  A  penwiper  should  never  be  made  of  the  inside  of  an  old 
kid  glove.  The  glove  has  absorbed  perspiration,  which  contains  oil. 
When  the  pen  is  wiped  this  oil  is  transferred  to  it  and  prevents  the 
ink  from  staying  on  the  point  in  a  whole  drop.  It  also  prevents  the 
ink  from  flowing  freely  from  the  pen  (during  the  writing).  For  a 
similar  reason  a  piece  of  chamois  skin  should  not  be  used.  Neither 
cotton  nor  woolen  cloth  is  suitable,  because  the  fibers  of  these  cloths 
often  get  caught  between  the  points  of  the  pen  and  trail  the  ink 
along  in  a  broad  line.  The  very  best  penwiper  is  a  piece  of  soft  tissue 
paper  or  a  moistened  sponge,  but  these  are  not  practical  for  general 
use  in  the  schoolroom.  The  next  best  is  a  piece  of  clean  silk,  and 
from  this  penwipers  should  be  made.  The  pen  should  never  be  put 
between  the  lips. 

Note.  The  question  may  be  asked  as  to  the  proper  time  to  teach 
pen-and-ink  work.  In  some  places  it  is  taught  during  the  first  year, 
but  the  author  prefers  the  latter  part  of  the  second  year. 

How  to  use  the  blotter 

The  use  of  the  blotter  is  an  exceedingly  simple  matter 
and  can  easily  be  taught.  The  teacher  should  insist  upon 
the  pupil's  using  it  correctly.  If  a  freshly  written  line  needs 
to  be  dried,  instruct  the  child  to  place  the  left-hand  side  of 
his  blotter  on  the  paper  he  is  using,  parallel  to  that  side  of 
it,  at  the  same  time  allowing  the  entire  blotter  to  rest  lightly 
over  the  moisture.  While  holding  the  left  side  of  the  blotter 
firmly,  he  should  brush  the  right  hand  across  it  with  a  steady, 
gentle  pressure.  This  will  absorb  the  ink  and  the  blotter  will 
not  move. 

A  common  mistake  in  using  the  blotter  is  to  take  it  in 
one  hand  and  with  a  series  of  quick  slaps  upon  the  paper 
attempt  to  absorb  the  excess  of  ink,  which  will  almost  always 
blur  the  ink  lines. 


CHAPTEE  II 
THE  STUDY  OF  THE   SCRIPT 

To  teach  the  letter  forms  and  their  slant  is  often  difficult 
for  the  teacher.  In  order  to  answer  the  question,  "How  shall 
.  I  teach  slant  ? "  it  will  be  necessary  to  explain  some  of  the 
construction  of  script. 

During  the  process  of  writing  any  style  of  script  its  down 
lines  will  coincide  with  the  writer's  line  of  vision ;  that  is,  the 
direction  in  which  he  is  looking. 

In  Fig.  11  the  rectangle  represents  the  top  of  a  desk  or 
table  on  which  three  pieces  of  paper  are  lying,  each  in  a 
different  position.  The  one  marked  A  is  so  placed  that  the 
bottom  of  it  is  parallel  to  the  front  edge  of  the  desk.  It  should 
be  in  this  position  for  the  writing  of  vertical  script.  The 
paper  marked  B  is  turned  so  that  its  top  edge  is  tilted  toward 
the  left.  Such  a  position  of  the  paper  is  used  by  the  right- 
handed  person  who  writes  slant  script.  The  paper  marked  C 
is  turned  so  that  its  top  is  tilted  toward  the  right.  This  is 
the  common  position  of  the  paper  for  a  left-handed  person, 
who  usually  writes  backhand  script.  Each  of  the  small  circles 
represents  a  writer,  who  sits  exactly  facing  the  desk.  In  each 
instance  the  vertical  dotted  line  represents  the  writer's  line 
of  vision,  that  is,  the  direction  in  which  he  is  lookmg. 

On  each  paper  a  small  /  is  written,  and  in  every  case  the 
back  or  downstroke  of  the  letter  coincides  with  the  writer's 
line  of  vision.  It  is  evident  that  three  styles  of  writing  are 
represented  m  the  illustration :  paper  A,  the  vertical ;  paper  B, 

21 


22  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

slant  to  the  right  of  vertical ;  and  paper  C,  backhand  script. 
In  each  case  the  position  of  the  writer  at  the  desk  and  the 
direction  in  which  he  is  looking  are  the  same.  The  three 
kinds  of  writing  therefore  depend  (1)  upon  the  position  of  the 
paper,  and  (2)  upon  making  the  downstrokes  of  the  letters 
coincide  with  the  line  of  vision.  This  last  suggestion  is  neces- 
sary because  it  is  essential  to  establish  the  proper  relation 
between  the  eyes  and  the  downstrokes  of  the  script.  As  pre- 
viously explained,  the  writer  should  (1)  face  his  desk,  (2)  sit 
erect,  and  (3)  look  directly  ahead  of  him.  In  so  doing  he 
will  look  straight  up  the  downstrokes  of  liis  writing.  A  pupil 
sometimes  cants  his  head  to  one  side,  and  when  asked  why 
he  does  so,  replies,  "  I  can  see  better."  The  real  reason  lies  in 
the  fact  that  he  has  tilted  his  paper  so  far  that  he  cannot  see 
straight  up  tlie  downstrokes  of  the  letters.  Instead  of  canting 
his  head  to  one  side,  he  should  tilt  his  paper  less. 

Help  to  the  teacher 

If  the  teacher  thoroughly  understands  Fig.  11  and  its 
explanation,  its  application  in  three  ways  will  be  very  help- 
ful. First,  it  will  assist  her  to  place  the  book  in  the  correct 
writing  position  on  the  desk ;  second,  it  will  assist  her  to 
place  the  paper  in  the  correct  writing  position;  and  third, 
it  win  assist  in  obtaining  the  exact  slant  of  the  script  which 
she  is  teaching. 

To   make  the  applications,  follow  these  directions  very 

carefully. 

Obtaining  the  line  of  vision 

1.  Ask  the  pupil  to  sit  facing  his  desk. 

2.  Give  him  an  ordinary  twelve-inch  ruler.  Ask  him  to 
place  it  on  the  desk  so  that  the  end  of  it  is  even  with  the 


THE  STUDY  OF  THE  SCRIPT 


23 


Fig.  11  represents  the  different  positions  of  the  paper  for  writing 
as  well  as  for  reading  written  work.  The  paper  marked  A  illustrates 
the  position  of  the  paper  for  writing  and  reading  vertical  script.  The 
paper  marked  B  (dotted-line  rectangle)  shows  the  position  for  writ- 
ing slant  script.  When  this  paper  is  moved  in  the  direction  of  the 
arrow  until  its  four  corners  agree  with  those  of  the  paper  marked  D, 
it  is  in  the  position  for  reading  script.  The  downstroke  of  /,  which 
coincided  with  the  line  of  vision  during  the  process  of  writing,  be- 
comes slant  script  when  the  same  paper  is  held  squarely  before  one 


O 


o 


Fig. 11 


O 


to  read  wTiting.  In  a  similar  manner  the  paper  marked  C  (dotted- 
line  rectangle)  shows  the  position  for  writing  backhand  script.  When 
this  paper  is  moved  in  the  direction  of  the  arrow  until  its  four  corners 
agree  with  those  of  the  paper  marked  E,  it  is  then  in  the  position  for 
reading  script.  The  downstroke  of  the  /,  which  coincided  with  the 
line  of  vision  during  the  jwocess  of  ivriting,  becomes  backhand  script 
when  the  same  paper  is  held  squarely  before  one  to  j-ead  writing. 
Backhand  writing  is  scientifically  correct  for  the  left-handed  person, 
for,  when  compared  with  the  right-handed  person,  he  uses  the  oppo- 
site process  for  writing,  and  therefore  he  gets  the  opposite  product. 


24  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

front  edge  of  the  desk.  When  he  has  done  so,  explain  to  him 
that  the  ruler  thus  placed  represents  his  line  of  vision,  that 
is,  the  direction  in  which  he  is  looking. 

Application  of  the  line  of  vision  to  get  the  correct  position 
of  the  book 

Put  the  writing  book  on  the  desk  and  place  the  ruler  as 
described  in  paragraph  2,  page  22,  resting  it  on  the  open  page 


Fig.  12 

of  the  book.  Tilt  the  top  of  the  book  toward  the  left  until 
the  downstrokes  of  the  letters  in  the  printed  copy  are  par- 
allel to  the  long  edge  of  the  ruler.  The  pupil,  facing  his 
desk,  can  now  look  up  the  downstrokes  of  these  printed  let- 
ters ;  they  coincide  witli  his  line  of  vision.  This  proves  that 
the  book  is  in  the  correct  position  for  writing.    See  Fig.  13. 


THE  STUDY  OF  THE  SCRIPT 


25 


Application  of  the  line  of  vision  to  get  the  correct  position 
of  the  paper 

1.  Eepeat  the  instruction  given  in  the  preceding  paragraph. 

2.  Place  a  sheet  of  paper  on  the  page  of  the  open  book  so 
that  its  bottom  edge  will  be  even  with  the  bottom  edge  of  the 
book.    Let  the  top  of  the  paper  overlap  the  top  of  the  book. 

In  Fig.  13  it  should  be  noticed  that  the  teacher  is  standing  at 
the  back  of  the  desk,  facing  the  pupil ;  that  the  bottom  of  the  rule 


Fig. 13 

is  parallel  to  the  front  edge  of  the  desk  ;  that  the  rule  represents 
the  line  of  vision  ;  that  the  downstroke  of  g  is  parallel  to  the  rule, 
hence  the  book  is  in  the  correct  position  for  writing  ;  that  the  bot- 
tom of  the  paper  is  parallel  to  the  bottom  of  the  book  ;  that  the 
teacher  is  preparing  to  remove  the  rule  and  book  with  his  left  hand 
while  the  tips  of  the  fingers  of  the  right  hand  are  holding  the  paper 
where  it  overlaps  the  top  of  the  writing  book.  This  will  leave  the 
paper  lying  on  the  desk  in  the  correct  position.  The  long  line  on  the 
paper  which  is  parallel  to  the  ruler  represents  the  slant  of  the  script. 


26  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

3.  Hold  the  paper  firmly  where  it  overlaps  the  book. 

4.  Kemove  the  book.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  paper  is  left 
lying  on  the  desk  in  the  same  position  which  the  book  occu- 
pied. Eead  about  the  "Angle  to  keep  the  paper  m  proper 
position,"  described  on  page  31. 

Note.  The  pupil  should  repeat  this  process  until  he  can  visualize 
the  top  of  his  desk  with  the  paper  lying  on  it  in  the  correct  position. 

Application  of  the  line  of  vision  to  the  slant  of  script 

With  the  book  placed  in  the  position  described  above,  ask 
the  pupil  to  make  all  the  downstrokes  of  his  writing  so  that 
he  can  look  up  these  particular  Hues.  The  result  will  be 
that  when  he  turns  the  book  from  the  tilted  writing  position 
to  one  in  which  the  bottom  of  the  book  is  parallel  to  the 
front  edge  of  his  desk  (the  reading  position),  he  will  find  that 
the  downstrokes  of  his  script,  which  coincided  with  his  line 
of  vision  when  he  wrote  them,  have  now  become  lines  slant- 
ing to  the  right  of  vertical.  In  other  words,  he  has  been 
writing  slant. 

How  to  record  the  line  of  vision 

If  a  hue  representing  the  slant  of  the  script  is  desired  on  the 
practice  paper,  while  it  is  in  the  position  called  for  in  para- 
graph 4,  place  the  ruler  in  the  position  described  in  paragraph 
2,  page  22.  When  this  is  done,  draw  one  line  and  remove 
the  ruler.  Turn  the  paper  squarely  before  the  pupil  and  this 
line  will  coincide  with  the  slant  of  his  script. 

It  is  easy  to  understand  how  this  axis  line  will  assist  the 
pupil  to  keep  his  paper  correctly  placed  for  writing.  At  all 
times  it  should  be  in  such  a  position  that,  as  he  looks  straight 
ahead,  he  will  look  along  the  entire  length  of  this  line. 


THE  STUDY  OF  THE  SCRIPT  27 

For  a  first-grade  and  second-grade  pupil  it  is  well  to  make 
an  arrowhead  on  the  end  of  this  line  farthest  from  the  child. 
Tell  him  always  to  keep  the  arrow  pointing  so  that  it  would 
shoot  straight  from  the  front  of  his  body. 

How  to  help  the  pupil  establish  the  axis  line  in  his  mind 

Having  led  the  pupil  to  develop  this  line,  the  teacher's 
effort  should  next  be  directed  toward  helping  him  to  fix  it 
in  his  mind  by  vizualizing  it.  This  can  be  accomplished  (1) 
by  repeating  for  several  lessons  the  instruction  which  deals 
with  the  line  of  vision ;  (2)  by  a  study  of  parallelism,  a 
process  which  will  now  be  explained. 

How  to  draw  parallel  lines  which  represent  the  slant  of  a 
particular  script 

When  the  pupil  has  one  axis  line  on  his  paper,  as  described 
above  in  the  first  paragraph  under  "  How  to  record  the  line  of 
vision,"  ask  him  to  draw  a  series  of  lines  parallel  to  this  one, 
following  these  instructions : 

1.  When  he  has  drawn  the  axis  line  against  the  left  edge 
of  his  ruler,  have  him  draw  one  beside  the  right  edge  of 
the  ruler. 

2.  Ask  him  to  slide  his  ruler  to  the  right  until  the  last 
line  he  drew  is  against  the  left  side  of  his  ruler.  Then  have 
him  draw  a  line  against  the  right  side  of  the  ruler. 

3.  Continue  this  operation  until  he  has  a  series  of  parallel 
lines  drawn  the  entire  length  of  the  paper,  slanting  as  does 
the  script  he  wishes  to  write,  the  space  between  any  two  lines 
being  equal  to  the  width  of  the  ruler.  Seeing  the  paper  thus 
ruled  is  of  inestimable  assistance  to  the  pupil  in  fixing  the 

'  direction  of  this  line  in  his  mind. 


28  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

A  study  of  parallelism 

Having  established  this  line  in  the  pupil's  mind,  the  teacher 
should  conduct  a  study  of  paralleHsm  between  it  and  the  down- 
strokes  of  the  letters.    She  will  find  this  plan  a  good  one : 

1.  Have  the  pupil  rule  one  side  of  a  sheet  of  paper  with 
parallel  lines,  as  above  described. 

2.  Ask  him  to  make  a  small  /  between  any  two  of  the 
ruled  axis  lines,  near  the  top  of  the  paper.  When  he  writes 
this  letter  be  sure  that  he  makes  the  downstrohe  of  it  par- 
allel to  the  axis  lines.  Let  him  continue  making  /'s  in  tliis 
fashion  until  he  has  fixed  this  parallelism  in  his  mind  and 
can  make  letters  accordingly. 

A  test  for  the  accuracy  of  parallelism 

As  a  test  for  the  accuracy  of  parallelism,  use  the  following 
suggestions : 

1.  After  the  pupil  has  written  several  /'s,  as  above  in- 
structed, ask  him  to  turn  his  paper  over  to  the  clean  side. 

2.  Instruct  him  to  hold  it  between  his  eyes  and  the  place 
where  the  strongest  light  enters  the  room.  As  he  looks 
through  the  clean  side  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  paper  he 
can  see  plainly  whether  the  downstrokes  of  these  /'s  are 
parallel  to  the  lines  which  he  ruled. 

Note.  It  is  necessary  to  rule  these  long  lines  and  carry  forward 
the  study  of  parallelism  above  described,  because  the  downstrokes  in 
the  letters  printed  at  the  top  of  the  copy-book  page  are  far  too  short 
for  the  pupil  to  determine  their  slant.  On  his  practice  paper,  when 
he  makes  the  downstroke  of  a  letter  parallel  to  the  long  axis  line 
previously  drawn,  the  effect  of  the  long  line  is  to  lengthen  that  of 
his  copy  and  thus  assist  him  to  see  the  slant  of  his  script. 


THE  STUDY  OF  THE  SCRIPT  29 

The  axis-line  parallelism  applied  to  written  work 

1.  Ask  the  pupil  to  turn  his  paper  over  to  the  clean  side, 
placing  it  in  the  proper  writing  position,  but  not  to  draw  any 
axis  lines. 

2.  He  may,  however,  place  the  ruler  as  described  in  para- 
graph 2,  page  22,  for  the  purpose  of  determining  his  line  of 
vision. 

3.  Have  him  place  the  first  finger  of  his  right  hand  against 
the  right  side  of  the  ruler  at  its  top. 

4.  Ask  him  to  move  his  finger  downward  beside  this  edge 
of  the  ruler.  This  shows  him  the  direction  of  movement 
which  would  produce  the  axis  line  should  he  draw  it. 

5.  Let  liim  discard  the  ruler,  but  continue  to  have  him 
move  his  finger  down  the  paper  just  as  he  did  when  moving 
it  beside  the  ruler. 

6.  Show  him  that  this  direction  of  motion  means  the  direc- 
tion of  line  in  every  downstroke  of  any  letter  he  writes. 

7.  Ask  him  to  make  some  small /'s,  depending  entirely  on 
his  visualization  of  this  axis  line  and  the  direction  of  motion 
required  to  make  it. 

8.  In  a  similar  manner  have  the  pupil  write  the  long  let- 
ters which  have  the  loops  above  and  below  the  writing  line. 
Follow  this  by  having  him  write  shorter  letters,  as  well 
as  words.  All  such  work  of  application  should  be  carried 
forward  in  the  manner  above  described.  First  should  come 
the  study  of  parallelism  with  the  ruled  axis  lines,  and  im- 
mediately following  such  practice  the  pupil  should  write 
the  same  letter  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  paper  without 
ruling  axis  lines.  This  aids  in  changing  vertical  to  slant 
writing. 


30  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

How  to  teach  the  axis  line  and  its  application  in 
first  and  second  grades 

A  modification  of  the  foregoing  instructions  should  be  made 
in  order  to  adapt  them  to  first-grade  and  second-grade  pupils. 
Since  these  young  children  are  often  unable  to  use  the  ruler 
in  drawing  the  lines,  —  work  which  the  older  pupils  can  do 
well,  —  the  axis  line  must  be  taught  in  a  very  elementary 
manner. 

1.  Give  each  pupil  a  piece  of  unruled  manila  paper.  On 
this  the  teacher  should  draw  one  axis  line  the  entire  length 
of  the  paper.  This  might  be  drawn  free-hand,  but  it  would 
be  much  better  to  use  a  ruler. 

2.  Have  the  pupil  invert  his  pencil  and  move  it  up  and 
down  heside  the  entire  length  of  the  teacher's  line.  Such  a 
movement  will  train  his  eye  to  recognize  the  direction  of  this 
line,  and  will  train  his  hand  to  draw  the  line  properly. 

3.  Ask  the  pupil  to  turn  his  pencil  so  that  the  point  touches 
the  paper,  and  draw  one  line  free-hand,  thus  paralleling  the 
teacher's  for  its  entire  length. 

4.  The  pupil  should  continue  to  make  such  lines,  at  spaces 
of  perhaps  one  inch  apart,  until  his  paper  is  filled.  Eepeat  this 
lesson  until  the  children  have  obtained  a  good  idea  of  the 
direction  of  such  a  line  and  can  make  it  either  by  parallehng 
that  which  the  teacher  drew  or  from  their  thought  of  it. 

5.  Following  this,  use  single-line  ruled  paper  having  at 
least  an  inch  of  space  between  any  two  writing  lines.  Help 
the  pupil  to  make  axis  lines  in  this  space,  using  one  third  of 
its  height  for  a  unit  letter  and  two  thirds  of  it  for  a  capital. 
The  upper  third  is  for  any  letter  extending  downward  from 
the  upper  writing  line. 


THE  STUDY  OF  THE  SCRIPT  31 

6.  As  soon  as  such  lines  can  be  made  well,  assist  the 
pupils  to  convert  them  into  the  downstrokes  of  letters  or 
short  words.  Thus  will  they  make  application  of  the  axis 
line  and  properly  slant  their  script. 

Place  a  sheet  of  paper  ruled  with  axis  lines  under  the  paper  on  which 
the  pupil  writes,  to  assist  him  in  acquiring  slant 

In  acquiring  slant  the  pupil  will  sometimes  find  it  helpful 
to  rule  in  ink  a  sheet  of  paper  full  of  axis  lines,  according 
to  the  directions  given  in  paragraphs  1,  2,  and  3,  on  page  27. 
Ink  will  insure  a  much  sharper  line  than  a  pencil.  If  a  paper 
thus  ruled  be  placed  under  the  one  on  which  the  pupil  writes, 
these  ink  lines  will  be  seen  through  it  distinctly  and  he  will 
constantly  see  before  him  the  proper  slant,  parallel  to  which 
he  is  to  make  the  downstrokes  of  his  letters. 

Let  such  a  scheme  assist  him  to  attain  slant  in  his  writ- 
ing, but  do  not  allow  it  to  be  used  so  long  that  he  will 
depend  upon  it. 

Angle  to  keep  paper  in  proper  position 

As  an  aid  in  keeping  the  paper  properly  placed  upon  the 
desk  while  writing,  cut  an  angle  from  a  piece  of  stiff  drawing 
paper.  This  should  be  made  to  correspond  with  the  slant  of 
the  script  which  the  pupil  is  studying.  Cutting  this  angle  is 
a  very  simple  matter. 

1.  Take  a  page  from  a  discarded  copy  of  the  writing  book 
in  present  use. 

2.  Place  the  ruler  to  represent  the  line  of  vision,  as  de- 
scribed in  paragraph  2,  page  22. 

3.  Place  the  page  from  the  writing  book  under  the  ruler 
and  tilt  the  top  of  it  toward  the  left,  using  care  about  two 


32  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

things :  First,  be  sure  to  have  the  lower  left-hand  corner  of 
the  page  touch  the  front  edge  of  the  desk ;  second,  tilt  the 
top  of  the  page  to  the  left  until  the  down  lines  of  the  letters 
are  parallel  to  the  side  of  the  ruler.  The  angle  thus  formed 
by  the  bottom  of  this  page  and  the  front  edge  of  the  desk 
will  be  the  exact  pattern  desired.  See  angle  formed  by  the 
bottom  of  the  paper  and  the  white  dotted  line  in  Fig.  12. 

4.  Cut  as  many  angles  from  this  pattern  as  may  be  needed 
to  supply  certain  pupils.  It  may  not  be  necessary  for  every 
pupil  to  have  one. 

5.  Paste  this  angle  on  the  desk  top  so  that  the  bottom 
edge  will  be  parallel  to  the  front  edge  of  the  desk.  Against 
the  obHque  side  of  the  angle  the  bottom  of  the  book  or  paper 
should  rest.  If  preferred,  paste  the  angle  so  that  its  horizon- 
tal edge  will  be  parallel  to  the  right  side  of  the  desk.  Against 
the  slanting  edge  rest  the  side  of  the  book  or  paper. 

Note.  Pasting  this  angle  upon  the  desk  will  in  no  way  injure 
school  furniture.  The  device  should  be  used  long  enough  to  help 
those  who  need  it  to  visualize  the  desk  top  with  either  paper  or  book 
lying  upon  it  in  the  correct  position. 

Blackboard  writing 

Nothing  will  contribute  so  greatly  to  the  successful  teach- 
ing of  penmanship  as  excellent  penmanship  put  on  the  board 
by  the  teacher.  Not  only  should  the  technical  writing  les- 
son be  painstaking,  but  whenever  she  has  occasion  to  put 
written  work  there  for  the  pupils,  it  should  be  carefully 
done.  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  model  teacher  has 
the  least  teaching  to  do,  because  the  children  imitate  almost 
every  detail  of  her  schoolroom  procedure.  They  catch  her 
expressions,  talk  as  she  does,  reproduce  her  mannerisms,  and, 


THE  STUDY  OF  THE  SCRIPT  33 

above  all,  copy  her  style  of  writing.  They  face  her  written 
work  many  more  hours  of  the  school  day  than  they  look 
at  the  correct  model  in  a  copy  book.  Just  as  the  camera's 
plate  reflects  the  object  to  which  it  is  exposed,  just  so  surely 
will  the  teacher's  style  of  penmanship  be  reflected  in  that 
of  her  pupils.  Fortunately  it  is  much  easier  to  write  well 
upon  the  board  than  upon  paper,  and  a  little  practice  each 
day  will  help  a  teacher  to  improve  her  own  writing.  It  is 
sometimes  said  that  teachers  do  not  earn  their  salaries.  If 
the  reader  has  the  least  suspicion  that  this  is  in  any  sense 
true  of  her,  then  a  twofold  opportunity  is  suggested;  first, 
if  she  should  practice  writing  on  the  blackboard  ten  -minutes 
a  day  for  one  month,  she  would  greatly  improve  her  tech- 
nique ;  and  second,  she  might  (?)  draw  her  next  check  with 
a  somewhat  relieved  conscience. 


Directions  for  writing  on  the  board 

1.  Stand  with  the  left  side  turned  toward  the  board.  In 
doing  so  you  will  look  up  obliquely  across  its  surface.  See 
Fig.  14. 

2.  Draw  all  the  downstrokes  of  the  letters  in  this  direc- 
tion, toward  the  eyes.    This  insures  correct  slant. 

Note.  It  will  be  seen  that  when  one  turns  his  body  and  writes 
on  the  board,  the  axis  Hne  of  the  script  will  coincide  with  this  oblique 
line  of  vision,  just  as  the  axis  line  of  the  scrii)t  coincides  with  the 
line  of  vision  when  one  faces  his  desk,  looks  straight  in  front  of  him, 
and  tilts  the  paper.  In  each  case  the  eyes  have  the  same  relation 
to  the  downstrokes  of  the  script,  —  they  are  directly  in  front  of 
them.  The  blackboard  cannot  be  tilted  ;  hence  the  necessity  for 
standing  with  the  left  side  turned  toward  it  to  give  the  writing  the 
proper  slant. 


34  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

3.  As  an  exercise  for  practice  it  is  well  to  make  long  ob- 
lique lines  on  the  board,  thus  training  both  eye  and  hand  to 
the  line  of  vision. 

4.  While  practicing  the  last  suggestion  one  should  train 
herself  to  step  along  as  she  writes.  If  she  stands  still  and 
tries  to  form  letters  consecutively  by  reaching  to  the  right, 


Fig.  14 

her  script  will  go  "  downhill."  To  correct  this  tendency, 
make  the  first  two  lines  of  small  n  and  repeat  them  for  a 
space  of  six  or  eight  feet  across  the  board,  stepping  along  as 
you  continue  making  the  exercise  (see  exercise,  page  95). 

6.  During  the  writing  lesson,  when  it  is  desired  to  write 
a  word  or  sentence  straight  upon  the  board,  cultivate  the 
ability  to  center  the  script  with  an  imaginary  line  at  the 
level  of  the  eye.    See  dotted  line  in  Fig.  14. 


THE  STUDY  OF  THE   SCRIPT  35 

It  will  be  uoticed  that  the  tops  of  the  highest  letters  in 
the  illustration  are  as  far  above  tliis  imaginary  line  as  the 
bottoms  of  the  longest  letters  are  below  it. 

6.  When  teaching  a  subject  letter  it  is  exceedingly  help- 
ful to  draw  on  the  board  a  "  writing  staff."  This  consists  of 
four  horizontal  lines  which  are  named  top,  head,  base,  and 
bottom.  When  the  staff  is  used  for  first-grade  and  second- 
grade  children,  the  space  between  any  two  of  these  lines 
should  be  at  least  three  or  four  inches. 

Note.  One  mistake  commonly  made  by  teachers  is  to  write  the 
letter  for  the  lessqn  too  small  on  the  blackboard.  Because  of  this  it 
is  impossible  to  point  out  in  it  the  details  which  are  to  be  taught. 
In  a  room  containing  fifty  pupils  the  author  once  saw  on  the  board 
a  capital  A  which  measured  scarcely  three  inches  in  height.  Com- 
ment on  this  is  unnecessary.  Sometimes  the  teachers  dislike  to  have 
the  pupils  see  them  draw  the  writing  staff  and  write  within  it.  They 
believe  the  children  will  think  that  the  teacher  ought  to  be  able  to 
write  without  such  aid.  This  false  idea  should  be  forgotten.  Many 
professors  who  have  taught  penmanship  in  public  schools  for  years 
invariably  draw  such  guide  lines  on  the  board  and  write  between 
them.  The  grade  teacher  certainly  should  not  hesitate  to  use  them, 
but  if  she  does  not  wish  the  lines  to  be  visible  to  the  pupils,  she  may 
draw  them  with  a  slate  pencil. 

7.  When  writing  on  the  board  take  the  crayon  between 
the  first  and  second  fingers  and  the  thumb.  It  should  point 
backward  toward  the  palm  of  the  hand  and  not  be  held 
against  the  side  of  the  first  finger,  as  the  penholder  would  be. 
-  8.  The  crayon  should  come  in  contact  with  the  board  at 
an  acute  angle.  If  it  touches  at  a  right  angle,  it  sometimes 
"  whistles."  Pupils  should  be  taught  how  to  use  the  crayon 
correctly. 

9.  Since  continuous  use  of  the  crayon  wears  it  away  to 
a  blunt,  rounded  point,  which  makes  thick  and  oftentimes 


36  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

ragged  lines,  it  is  well  occasionally  to   snap   off  the  end. 
The  keen  edge  thus  obtained  will  give  a  sharp  line. 

10.  These  suggestions  are  offered  with  particular  refer- 
ence to  the  writing  lesson.  With  two  exceptions,  however, 
they  should  be  used  for  general  blackboard  writing.  If 
twenty  questions  in  history  are  to  be  put  on  the  board,  the 
rules  just  given  for  writing  on  the  eye  level  cannot  be  fol- 
lowed, nor  can  that  for  the  writing  staff. 

Teaching  forms  of  letters 

What  is  often  referred  to  as  good  writing  is  not  wholly 
the  product  of  imitative  art.  Unfortunately  for  the  pupil  he 
is  too  often  depended  upon  to  learn  to  write  in  this  fashion. 
The  author  recently  observed  a  lesson  (?)  in  penmanship 
given  to  a  class  in  a  grammar  grade.  "  June  is  the  month 
of  roses  "  had  been  written  on  the  board  before  school.  Con- 
sequently the  pupils  gained  no  help  from  watching  the 
teacher  write  the  copy. 

The  Lesson  (?) 

Teacher.  Children,  the  copy  is  on  the  board.  Can  you  all 
see  it  ? 

Class.    Yes'm. 

Teacher.    Has  each  one  of  you  a  pen  ? 

Class.    Yes'm. 

Teacher.    Has  each  one  some  practice  paper  ? 

Class.  Yes'm. 

Teacher.    Then  you  may  write. 

And  write  they  did.  During  the  entire  period  not  a  halt 
was  called  for  comparison  of  the  pupils'  work  with  the 
teacher's  copy.    Neither  was  there  any  criticism  by  them  of 


THE  STUDY  OF  THE  SCRIPT  37 

their  own  writing.  The  author  retired  from  that  class  room 
convinced  that  the  teacher  would  not  suffer  from  nervous 
exhaustion  during  the  day  because  of  her  stFenuous  efforts 
to  teach  the  morning  lesson  in  penmanship. 

If  any  study  in  the  curriculum  demands  the  application 
of  psychology  in  its  teaching,  it  is  the  one  under  considera- 
tion. For  a  perfect  working  foundation  in  learning  how  to 
write,  the  pupil  must  first  possess  a  clear  mental  concept  of 
the  letter  or  word  which  he  wishes  to  make.  He  cannot  be 
expected  to  write  pleasing  forms  on  paper  if  he  has  only  an 
incorrect  and  ill-defined  imagery  in  his  mind.  To  be  sure,  it 
is  possible  for  one  to  have  a  good  mental  concept  without  the 
executive  ability  to  write  it  well  upon  paper,  but  such  cases 
are  rare.  The  teacher  should  help  the  pupil  visualize  every 
conventional  character  he  has  to  acquire,  just  as  she  would 
assist  him  to  read  a  picture  in  the  study  of  drawing ;  and  she 
should  teach  him  to  join  the  characters  so  that  they  shall 
form  words.  The  ability  of  the  child  to  imitate  is  not  the 
primary,  but  the  secondary,  part  of  the  process  in  acquiring 
a  legible  handwriting. 

The  teacher  should  thoroughly  acquaint  herself  with  the  technique 

It  follows  that  the  teacher  must  thoroughly  acquaint  her- 
self with  the  technique  which  she  is  teaching,  —  a  simple 
matter,  but  one  of  inestimable  importance  if  successful  re- 
sults are  desired.  Not  only  must  she  be  fitted  to  help  the 
pupil  build  in  his  mind  the  correct  concept  of  any  letter 
form,  but  she  must  also  be  able  to  give  the  suggestion  which 
will  help  him  to  correct  any  mistake  he  has  made  in  writ- 
ing it.  How  can  the  teacher  expect  to  meet  these  require- 
ments unless  she  has  in  her  own  mind  perfect  ideals  of  the 


38  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

characters  she  has  to  teach?  One  of  the  best  reasons  why 
penmanship  in  the  public  schools  is  poor,  is  the  fact  that  it 
is  not  taught.  If  better  results  are  to  be  secured,  it  must  he 
taught. 

It  is  hoped  that  the  teacher  will  profit  by  the  instruction 
next  given  before  it  reaches  her  pupils. 

Four  things  to  teach  in  the  forms  of  capitals  and  small  letters 

Any  one,  or  all  four,  of  the  following  suggestions  may  be 
adopted:  first,  teaching  from  the  basal  form  or  principle; 
second,  emphasizing  the  similarity  of  form  throughout  any 
given  class  of  letters ;  third,  giving  definite  and  specific  instruc- 
tion about  the  letter ;  fourth,  ascertaining  the  proportions  of 
any  character  by  comparison. 

Notes.  1.  It  is  not  intended  to  ask  the  teacher,  in  using  the  above 
suggestions,  to  return  to  the  minutiae  of  analysis  which  were  in  vogue 
when  the  old  slant  script  was  taught. 

2.  Many  good  teachers  disagree  as  to  the  method  to  follow  when 
script  forms  are  first  taught  the  young  pupil.  Some  believe  that  he 
should  learn  how  to  make  a  few  individual  letters  and  combine  them 
so  as  to  form  words ;  that  he  should  then  study  one  new  letter  at  a 
time,  immediately  using  it  in  a  word ;  and  that  he  should  next  be 
taught  a  few  capitals,  as  /,  5',- or  3/,  any  one  of  which  he  may  use 
in  beginning  the  sentence  which  he  may  form  from  words  that  he 
has  already  written. 

In  building  up  this  foundation  list  of  words,  many  teachers  follow 
the  development  of  words  in  the  primer  or  first  reader  from  which 
the  child  reads.  Thus  is  he  taught  to  recognize  a  concept  not  only 
for  the  purpose  of  reading  it,  but  also  for  the  purpose  of  writing  it. 

3.  Other  teachers  believe  that  the  young  pupil  should  first  be 
taught  a  word  as  a  whole,  and  then  study  its  component  letters 
individually. 

4.  Still  others  believe  that  the  young  pupil  should  first  write  a 
short  sentence  and  then  study  the  single  letter, — a  method  frequently 


THE  STUDY  OF  THE   SCRIPT  39 

followed  in  the  first  grade  when  the  child  writes  stories  in  connection 
with  language  work  as  a  means  of  expression  of  thought. 

5.  Since  it  is  not  within  the  scope  of  this  book  to  discuss  theory, 
these  methods  are  merely  stated.  The  instruction  given  teachers  will 
follow  the  plan  first  mentioned,  but  a  teacher  who  uses  either  of  the 
other  schemes  will  receive  assistance  from  the  following  suggestions 
for  teaching  letter  formation. 

Letters  should  he  taught  from  hasal  forms  or  principles. 
There  are  two  reasons  why  letters  should  be  taught  from 
basal  forms  or  principles :  first,  in  order  that  the  alphabet 
may  be  divided  into  groups  or  classes  of  letters ;  second,  for 
the  purpose  of  systematizing  instruction.  The  following  code 
of  basal  forms  will  be  found  convenient  for  use : 

Basal  forms  or  principles. 
Basal  Forms  Letters  made  from  Basal  Forms 

1.  i  ,  i,  u,  w,  and  t. 

2.  n  (primary  group  n,  m,  v,  and  x). 

(secondary  "      p,  h,  y,  and  z). 

3.  0  0,  c,  e,  s,  and  r. 

4.  a  a,  d,  g,  and  q. 

5.  /  Z,  &,  h,  h,  and  /. 

6.  j  j,  y,  g,  and  z. 

7.  0  (the  ellipse).    Most  of  the  capitals  are  made  from 

an  ellipse.    See  Fig.  21,  page  57. 

Memory  lesson.  It  is  recommended  that  pupils  in  the 
middle  and  upper  grades  be  asked  to  memorize  this  Hst  of 
principles,  as  the  teacher  develops  each  one  in  regular  order 
of  instruction.  Without  overtaxing  them  in  any  way,  this 
will  give  them  very  definite  ideas  of  the  origin  of  letter  forms. 
The  pupils  should  name  each  group  of  letters  studied  by  the 
first  one  of  its  class.   Thus,  those  based  on  the  first  basal  form 


40  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

should  be  known  as  the  i  letters ;  those  based  on  the  second 
are  the  n  letters;  those  growing  out  of  the  third  principle 
are  the  o  letters ;  those  based  on  the  fourth  are  the  a  letters ; 
and  so  on  through  the  list. 

Similarity  of  form.  As  an  example  of  using  this  method 
of  teaching,  consider  its  application  to  the  second  group  above 
noted. 

Primary  group.  Small  n  is  the  basal  form,  and  the  first 
letter  of  this  class  to  be  studied.  When  the  second  letter  is 
taught,  show  that  the  first  two  lines  of  n,  prefixed  to  n, 
will  form  m.  The  first  two  lines  of  v  are  exactly  like  those 
of  n,  while  the  last  two  lines  are  the  same  as  the  corre- 
sponding ones  of  w  and  h.  The  first  three  lines  of  x  are 
identical  with  the  last  three  of  n.  The  oblique  cross  line 
should  be  made  the  last  stroke  of  the  letter,  with  an  upward 
or  downward  motion,  according  to  the  teacher's  preference. 

Secondary  group.  The  lower  parts  of  p  and  h  are  identical 
with  the  last  three  lines  of  n  and  the  first  three  Hues  of  y. 
The  first  two  lines  of  z  are  the  same  as  those  of  n.  This  last 
comparison  is  very  helpful  to  the  pupil,  as  he  is  apt  to  make 
the  first  down  line  of  small  z  like  that  of  capital  Z.  Instead 
of  such  a  curve,  he  should  make  a  straight  line  Hke  the  first 
downstroke  of  n. 

Such  a  study  of  similarity  of  form  shows  at  once  what  a 
close  relation  the  basal  form  of  small  n  bears  to  every  letter 
of  this  group. 

Note.  Although  it  is  a  fact  that;?  is  a  semi-extended  letter  and 
h  and  y  belong  to  the  loop  class,  nevertheless  it  has  been  found  help- 
ful to  point  out  that  parts  of  these  letters  are  identical  with  a  similar 
part  of  the  basal  n.  In  the  same  manner  g  has  been  included  in  the 
fourth  group  because  of  its  similarity  to  a,  notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  it  belongs  to  the  loops,  and  is  so  taught. 


THE  STUDY  OF  THE  SCIUPT  41 

It  may  be  helpful  at  this  time  to  refer  to  the  teaching  of  the  fourth 
group  of  letters  noted  on  page  39.  The  basal  form  for  these  is  the 
small  a.  This  is  not  made  round,  like  the  ellipse  of  small  o,  although 
many  pupils  incorrectly  make  it  so.  The  first  part  of  small  a  is  sharply 
pointed  at  its  upper  right-hand  side.  To  teach  this  form  successfully, 
emphasize  its  resemblance  to  an  apple  or  squash  seed,  which  is  pointed 
at  one  end  and  curved  at  the  opposite  end.  To  differentiate  between 
the  0  and  the  a  group,  teach  the  pupils  to  call  the  latter  class  the 
"  apple-seed ' '  letters. 


Definitely  teaching  script  forms 

Every  written  character  should  at  some  time  be  definitely 
and  specifically  taught.  An  example  of  such  teaching  in  the 
instance  of  capital  D  is  given  as  an  illustration. 

1.  First  draw  the  writing  staff  (described  on  page  35,  para- 
graph 6)  on  the  board.  Have  the  unit  space  at  least  three 
inches  high. 

2.  Make  a  basal  ellipse  the  proportions  and  slant  of  that 
required  for  the  script  which  you  are  teaching. 

3.  From  tliis  develop  capital  0,  which  has  already  been 
taught,  and  convert  the  0  into  D.  This  can  easily  be  done : 
first,  by  shortening  the  left  side  of  0  to  three  quarters  of  the 
height  of  the  letter ;  second,  by  changing  the  remaining  part 
of  this  left  side  into  a  slightly  reversed  curve ;  and  third,  by 
adding  the  loop  at  the  lower  left-hand  part  of  capital  D.  Such 
modifications  will  show  the  similarity  of  form  between  0  and 
D,  and  what  a  large  part  of  the  letter  D  capital  0  forms. 

4.  Having  developed  the  D  in  this  manner,  write  another 
beside  it,  making  the  complete  letter  as  the  pupil  should  write 
it.  Thus  the  child  will  see  the  manner  in  which  the  D  should 
always  be  written,  and  will  in  no  way  confuse  this  with  the 
technical  development  of  it. 


42  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

The  letter  should  now  be  definitely  and  specifically  taught. 
As  each  step  in  the  following  instruction  is  developed,  number 
and  write  it  on  the  hoard.  The  pupil  should  learn  and  recite 
these  things.  If  necessary,  however,  he  may  read  them  from 
the  board  in  order  that  he  may  work  understandingly  for 
the  results  which  he  is  trying  to  gain. 

In  Fig.  15  the  following  things  should  be  noted :  that  these  letters 
are  made  within  the  writing  staff  mentioned  in  paragraph  1 ;  that  the 
^_  ^ basal  ellipse  men- 
tioned in  paragraph 
2  is  made  in  dotted 
lines  ;  that  0  is  de- 
veloped by  adding 
,the  final  curve  of 
YiG.  15  that  letter  to  this 
ellipse  ;  that  the  0 
thus  formed  is  next  converted  into  I)  by  adding  the  solid  lines  and 
erasing  the  dotted  line  on  the  left  side  of  0,  as  mentioned  in  para- 
graph 3  ;  and  that  the  complete  D  mentioned  in  paragraph  4  is 
afterward  made  as  the  pupil  would  write  it.  In  this  description  of 
Fig.  15  the  paragraphs  mentioned  are  all  on  page  41. 

1.  Teach  the  class  that  the  letter  begins  at  three  quarters 
of  its  height  above  the  base  line. 

2.  Teach  the  class  that  the  first  downstroke  of  Z>  is  a 
slightly  reversed  curve. 

3.  Teach  the  class  that  the  loop  of  D  extends  upward  one 
quarter  of  the  letter's  height  above  the  base  line. 

4.  Compare  the  axis  of  this  loop  with  the  axes  of  the  loops 
in  capitals  L  and  Q.  Note  that  these  axes  are  horizontal,  while 
that  of  the  loop  of  D  is  practically  like  the  slant  of  that  letter. 

5.  Teach  the  class  that  the  space  between  the  point  where 
this  loop  and  the  body  of  the  letter  touch  the  base  line  is 
equal  to  the  height  of  small  i. 


THE  STUDY  OF  THE  SCRIPT  43 

6.  Measure  the  width  of  D  at  one  half  of  its  height.  Show 
that  the  final  curve,  as  it  passes  down  through  the  letter  at 
that  point,  divides  it  in  such  a  manner  that  about  two  thirds 
of  the  width  of  D  is  at  the  right  of  this  curve  and  one  third 
at  the  left  of  it. 

7.  Teach  the  class  that  the  final  curve  of  D  passes  out 
through  the  right-hand  side  of  the  letter  at  about  one  quarter 
of  the  letter's  height  above  the  base  line. 

8.  Teach  the  class  that  D  is  twice  as  high  as  small  i. 

9.  Teach  the  class  that  the  body  of  D  is  two  thirds  as  wide 
as  it  is  liigh. 

Practice  in  making  capital  D.  Ask  the  pupils  to  write 
carefully  ten  D's  on  one  line  of  practice  paper.  When  these 
are  made,  have  every  child  place  his  pen  quietly  in  the  groove 
at  the  top  of  his  desk.  This  is  important.  If  the  pens  are 
not  thus  laid  down,  some  boy  will  probably  busy  himself  by 
drawing  grotesque  faces  on  his  finger  nails,  while  another  will 
inscribe  his  initials  on  the  back  of  his  hand. 


Study  and  comparison  of  work  by  pupils 

When  the  ten  i>'s  are  written  they  must  be  compared 
most  carefully  with  the  detailed  instruction  and  copy  which 
are  on  the  board. 

Teacher.  What  is  the  first  thing  that  you  learned  about 
capital  D  ?   Read  from  the  board,  Paul. 

Paul.  I  learned  that  capital  D  begins  at  three  quarters  of 
its  height  above  the  base  line. 

Teacher  to  class.  Study  every  letter  that  you  have  made, 
and  examine  it  for  this  one  thing.  How  many  are  correct  ? 
Has  any  one  begun  D  either  too  low  or  too  high  ?    Please 


44  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

decide  just  what  you  will  do  to  correct  this  mistake  in  the 
next  D's  that  you  make. 

Teacher.  What  is  the  second  thing  that  you  learned  about 
capital  D  ?   You  may  read  from  the  board,  Euth. 

BiUh.  I  learned  that  the  first  downstroke  of  Z>  is  a 
slightly  reversed  curve. 

Teacher  to  class.  Look  at  your  letters.  Is  this  part  of  them 
correctly  formed  ?  Did  any  one  make  these  curves  too  deep  ? 
Did  any  one  make  this  line  a  simple  curve  ?  Did  any  one  make 
it  a  straight  line  ?  How  many  have  decided  just  where  they 
will  correct  this  first  line  when  they  make  capital  Z>  again  ? 

Teacher.  What  is  the  third  thing  that  you  learned  about 
capital  D,  Donald  ?  Why,  that  is  your  capital,  isn't  it  ?  So 
it  is  yours,  Doris.    Now,  all  listen  carefully. 

Donald  (reading  from  the  board).  I  learned  that  the  loop 
of  D  extends  upward  one  quarter  of  the  letter's  height  above 
the  base  line. 

Teacher  to  class.  How  many  scholars  have  made  this  loop 
perfectly  ?  If  no  one,  how  many  have  already  found  their 
mistake?  Decide  precisely  how  you  will  correct  it  when 
you  write  again. 

Teacher.  What  is  the  fourth  thing  that  you  learned  about 
capital  D  ?   You  may  read  from  the  board,  Marion. 

Marion.  I  learned  that  the  axis  of  this  loop  stands  nearly 
the  same  as  the  main  part  of  the  letter,  and  not  like  the  loops 
of  capitals  L  and  Q,  for  these  are  horizontal. 

Teacher  to  class.  Compare  your  D  loops  with  the  copy. 
How  many  find  them  the  same?  Those  who  have  made 
a  mistake  please  remember  what  must  be  done  to  correct  it. 

Teacher.  What  is  the  fifth  thing  that  you  learned  about 
capital  D  ?   Please  read  from  the  board,  Frederic. 


THE  STUDY  OF  THE   SCRIPT  45 

Frederic.  I  learned  that  the  space  between  the  point  where 
the  loop  and  the  body  of  the  letter  touch  the  base  line  is 
equal  to  the  height  of  small  i. 

Teacher  to  class.  I  wish  you  would  be  very  particular 
about  this  one  thing.  If  any  of  you  has  made  a  mistake,  he 
should  mark  it  on  some  letter  so  that  he  will  be  sure  to  cor- 
rect it  when  we  make  more  D's. 

Teacher.  What  is  the  sixth  thing  that  you  learned  about 
capital  Z>,  Gladys  ? 

Gladys.  I  learned  something  about  the  width  of  capital 
D  (reading  from  the  board). 

Teacher  to  class.  Place  some  small  dots  on  the  edge  of 
your  practice  paper.  With  these  measure  the  width  of  your 
Z>'s  and  see  if  it  is  the  same  as  the  width  called  for  on  the 
board.  Measuring  these  letters  will  help  you  to  judge  more 
accurately  the  width  of  the  next  D's  that  you  make. 

Teacher.  What  is  the  seventh  thing  that  you  learned 
about  this  letter?  You  may  read  from  the  board,  Philip. 
(Philip  reads  the  instruction  noted.) 

Continuing  this  lesson  is  unnecessary.  It  is  hoped  that 
the  above  outline  will  show  the  teacher  just  what  is  meant 
by  teaching  and  studying  a  letter  definitely  and  specifically. 
If  such  is  the  instruction,  how  can  any  normal  pupil  fail  to 
learn  something  of  the  origin  of  the  letter  studied  or  to  form 
a  clear-cut  mental  concept  of  it  ?  Then,  with  thoughtful 
practice,  what  is  there  to  prevent  his  constant  improvement 
in  letter  formation  ? 

In  your  class  is  such  a  pupil's  present  progress  satisfactory  ? 

Applying  to  the  above  lesson  the  suggestions  on  page  38 
for  teaching  the  forms  of  the  capital  and  small  letters,  it 
should  be  noticed  that  (1)  capital  D  was  taught  from  the 


46  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

basal  form  (see  "  Definitely  teaching  script  forms,"  paragraph  2, 
page  41) ;  (2)  that  the  similarity  of  form  was  shown  (see  para- 
graph 3,  page  41) ;  (3)  that  the  letter  was  definitely  and  spe- 
cifically taught  (see  paragraphs  1-9  inclusive,  pages  42-43 ) ; 
and  (4)  that  both  height  and  width  of  capital  Z>  were  measured 
(see  paragraphs  8  and  9,  page  43). 

Note.  Regarding  the  lesson  just  described,  two  things  should  be 
noted :  first,  it  is  supposed  to  have  been  given  in  the  middle  or  upper 
grades,  where  the  pupils  are  thoroughly  able  to  receive  and  profit  by 
such  instruction ;  secondly,  although  this  has  all  been  embodied  in 
one  writing  lesson,  it  may  or  may  not  be  so  given  by  the  teacher. 
If  in  her  judgment  there  is  too  much  material  for  one  writing  period, 
she  should  divide  it  among  as  many  writing  lessons  as  she  thinks 
best.  It  has  been  the  aim  of  the  author  to  present  in  one  place  com- 
plete instruction  about  capital  D  as  a  model  for  teaching  and  study- 
ing any  written  character. 

Instruction  should  be  modified  for  first  and  second  grades 
It  should  be  remembered  that  writing  will  have  to  be 
taught  to  first-grade  and  second-grade  pupils  in  a  much  more 
elementary  manner  than  that  used  in  the  middle  and  upper 
classes.  Although  primary  children  have  to  learn  to  write 
more  largely  from  imitation,  and  the  instruction  given  them 
cannot  be  so  detailed  as  that  given  to  older  pupils,  yet  it  will 
not  do  to  depend  entirely  upon  their  power  of  imitation  for 
good  letter  formation.  Writing  must  be  taught  to  these  chil- 
dren, and  it  calls  for  fine  discrimination  on  the  teacher's  part 
to  know  just  what,  how  much,  and  when  to  teach. 

Teaching  script  by  measurement  and  comparison 
If  the  teacher  shows  the  normal  child  the  proper  way  to 
develop  any  technique,  as  a  rule  the  child  enjoys  the  study. 
In  such  teaching  her  inventive  power  and  her  tact  enable 


^8 


.-I     C5 


Ml 

05    i2  .9 

7=    S^ 
;-> 

c3 

a 


^  i  ^ 


«C  <]  t3 

C    03  ""^ 

cS     W     CO 

«^  a 

o    >.^ 

M     C     05 
fl     C«     CS 

o  a  g 


48  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

her  to  make  the  most  difficult  subject  popular.  The  disgust 
for  and  the  deplorable  results  obtained  in  the  writing  period 
are  largely  due  to  the  facts  that  imitating  a  copy  soon  grows 
monotonous,  and  that  the  cliild  sees  nothing  in  the  study  for 
which  to  work.  One  potent  remedy,  therefore,  lies  in  giving 
him  something  to  do. 

To  make  any  written  character  symmetrical  in  form,  cer- 
tain measurements  and  proportions  must  be  observed.  In- 
stead of  disliking  to  ascertain  these,  the  pupils  find  such 
work  very  interesting. 

Unit  for  measuring  width.  The  unit  for  determining  width 
is  found  in  the  space  between  the  downstrokes  of  small  u, 
measured  at  right  angles  to  the  main  slant  of  the  letter. 
Letters,  or  parts  of  them,  of  equal  width  to  this  unit  are  in- 
dicated in  the  following  list:  the  unit  u,  between  the  first 
two  lines  of  w,  the  two  downstrokes  of  n^  the  three  down- 
strokes  of  m,  the  first  and  second  downstrokes  of  a,  d,  g,  q, 
and  h,  from  the  first  downstroke  of  k,  measured  horizontally 
to  the  right-hand  side  of  the  oval  in  the  last  part  of  the  let- 
ter, and  between  the  two  downstrokes  of  y. 

The  following  parts  of  small  letters  are  two  thirds  of  this 
width:  between  the  third  and  fourth  lines  of  w,  the  second 
and  third  of  v,  across  the  oval  of  o,  the  pointed  ovals  of  a,  d, 
g,  and  q,  the  bottom  of  s,  and  the  lower  part  of  h. 

The  following  loops  are  one  third  as  wide  as  the  unit  u : 
the  loop  in  e,  h,  k,  I,  h,  j,  y,  g,  z,  each  of  the  loops  in  /, 
and  that  in  the  lower  part  of  capitals  J,  Y,  G,  and  Z  are  all 
the  same  in  width. 

For  measurements  in  width  for  the  capital  letters,  see 
Fig.  16,  page  47,  also  description  of  letters,  pages  57-71. 
The  small  i  is  the  unit  for  measuring  the  height  of  letters. 


THE  STUDY  OF  THE  SCRIPT  49 

Construction  of  script 

In  the  middle  and  upper  grades  it  will  be  found  both  in- 
teresting and  instructive  if  the  pupil  is  frequently  reminded 
from  what  the  letters  and  figures  are  made.  These  parts  are, 
first,  a  straight  oblique  line,  which  forms  the  greater  number 
of  the  downstrokes  of  the  small  letters ;  second,  some  curved 
figure,  usually  an  ellipse,  from  which  the  curvature  at  the  tops 
and  bottoms  of  the  letters  is  taken.  Some  of  the  letters,  as 
has  been  shown,  are  made  almost  wholly  from  this  figure. 

The  ellipse.   A  change  in  the     ^-^ 
proportions  of  the  ellipse  causes    I    ^  jH  /~1[   /r\   A  /~\ 
a  corresponding  change  in  the 
curvature    of   the    script.      The 
curves  in  the  let- 
ters vary  according 
to  the  proportions 

of  the  basal  ellipse.  „      ,  ^ 

^  •  Fig. 18 

If  this  happens  to 

be  wide  in  comparison  with  its  height,  then  the  curves  in  and 
between  the  letters  will  be  broad.  If  the  ellipse  is  narrow 
when  compared  with  its  height,  then  the  curves  of  the  script 
will  be  narrow.  For  an  example  of  wide  curves  instance  the 
vertical  writing  (see  Fig.  17).  This  was  fashioned  from  very 
wide  ellipses  and  oftentimes  from  circles.  The  old  slant  writ- 
ing gives  examples  of  narrow  curves  (see  Fig.  18).  These 
were  taken  from  basal  forms,  frequently  but  one  quarter  or 
one  third  as  wide  as  their  height. 

The  curves  of  the  letters.  Each  curve  at  the  top  or  bottom 
of  any  unit  letter,  as  small  n,  usually  forms  about  one  fourth 
of  its  height.    In  this  letter,  therefore,  the  straight  oblique 


.L-X 


Fig.  19 


50  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

line  forms  three  fourths  the  length  of  its  first  downstroke. 
In  the  right-hand  part  of  %  the  curves  at  top  and  bottom 
each  take  one  fourth,  while  the  straight  oblique  line  which 

^N    y^  \ J~    separates  them  takes  the 

/'/''       /         /  other  two   fourths  neces- 

sary to  complete  the  height 
"  of  that  part  of  the  letter. 
See  Fig.  19. 

Angles.  It  is  well  for  the  pupil  to  try  to  make  angles 
where  certain  lines  meet  at  the  tops  and  bottoms  of  some  of 
the  letters.  In  this  particular  notice  the  difference  between 
the  two  letters  written  below. 

Pure  script  has  always  been  made  with  many  of  its  lines 
separated.  For  this  reason  it  can  be  written  rapidly.  Much 
vertical  writing  was  made  so  that  many  of  its  upstrokes  re- 
traced its  downstrokes.  This  was  done  that  the  vertical  might 
resemble  printed  letters,  but  it  reacted  on  its  speed  of  execu- 
tion. The  tendency  will  be  the  same  if  the  m  is  similarly 
formed,  even  though  its  axis  is  a  slant  line.  In  this  case 
should  the  pupil  try  to  write  it  rapidly,  he  would  probably 
make  loops  when  he  attempted  to  trace  the  downstrokes  with 

the  upstrokes  of  the  letter.   This  /  r  /  L/  represents  script 

made  of  separated  lines  and  angles.  This  I  I  L/  represents 
retraced  lines  and  can  only  be  "carved." 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  if  a  script  is  to  be  written  with 
facility,  it  should  be  constructed  largely  of  separated  lines. 
Hence  the  importance  of  emphazing  the  study  of  angles.  If  the 
oblique  line,  ellipse,  curvature,  and  angles  are  gradually  made 
plain  to  the  pupils,  such  instruction  will  prove  of  inestimable 
value  to  them  in  interpreting  the  construction  of  script. 


THE  STUDY  OF  THE  SCRIPT  51 

Supervision  of  first-grade  work 

It  is  strongly  urged  that  pupils  of  the  first  grade  should 
be  allowed  to  write  only  under'  the  direction  of  the  teacher. 
If  they  write  by  themselves  for  desk  work,  the  errors  into 
which  they  fall  can  hardly  be  overestimated,  either  in  num- 
ber or  importance.  For  similar  reasons  it  is  unwise  to  allow 
the  very  young  pupils  to  trace  a  copy  previously  written  by 
the  teacher,  unless  she  can  watch  them  at  their  work. 

Desk  work  for  first-grade  pupils 

It  may  be  asked  what  first-grade  pupils  will  do  for  desk 
work  if  they  cannot  write.  The  author  has  studied  this  ques- 
tion in  many  cities.  To  summarize  his  observations  briefly, 
he  finds  that  word  and  sentence  building  with  alphabet  cards 
is  favored.  Industrial  and  other  work  is  carried  forward  with 
both  colored  splints  and  pegs.  Story  work  is  elaborated.  Cut- 
ting leaves,  birds,  animals,  etc.,  from  paper  (after  which  such 
objects  are  mounted  on  cardboard)  is  approved.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  sufficient  work  to  occupy  the  child's  mind  can  be 
arranged,  to  take  the  place  of  writing.  The  sooner  penman- 
ship is  prohibited  in  the  first  grade,  unless  it  is  done  under 
supervision,  the  sooner  will  the  good  effect  of  such  prohibi- 
tion be  noted  in  every  class  thereafter. 

How  to  teach  the  scale  of  script 

The  term  "  space,"  so  commonly  used  by  teachers,  is  a  very 
abstract  and  meaningless  unit  to  pupils.  Some  concrete  plan, 
therefore,  is  desirable  by  which  they  can  develop  every  detail 
in  the  process  of  determining  the  height  or  relative  heights 


52  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENlVLVNSHir 

of  letters.  That  which  is  suggested  below  has  been  found  to 
be  easily  understood  and  applied  by  pupils,  and  has  met  every 
requirement  in  point  of  detail 

1.  Give  each  scholar  a  piece  of  single-line  ruled  practice 
paper. 

2.  Ask  the  children  to  trisect  the  space  between  any  two 
lines  by  making  two  equidistant  dots.  These  should  be  made 
with  a  fine-pointed  pencil  or  with  a  pen. 

3.  When  all  tlie  children  can  do  this  accurately,  ask  them 
to  make  a  small  n  (or  some  other  letter  of  unit  height)  in 
each  trisection.    These  three  letters  should  just  fill  the  space 


Fig.  20 

between  the  two  writing  lines,  the  lower  one  resting  on  one 
line  and  the  top  of  the  highest  one  just  touching  the  upper 
of  the  two  lines  between  which  they  are  written. 

4.  Begin  the  work  of  application.  For  example,  ask  that 
a  small  o  of  equal  height  be  made  to  the  right  of  and  beside 
the  lowest  n  in  the  column.  Let  the  pupils  learn  and  recite 
that  0  is  one  n  high. 

5.  Continue  this  practice.  Next  ask  them  to  write  the 
word  "on"  eight  or  ten  times  on  one  line  across  the  paper. 
At  intervals  ask  the  pupils  to  repeat  between  these  words 
the  work  called  for  in  paragraphs  2  and  3  of  this  section. 
Tlius  will  they  keep  constantly  before  them  the  unit  of 


THE  STUDY  OF  THE  SCRIPT  53 

measurement  by  which  they  may  judge  the  height  of  any 
other  letter  which  they  are  studying. 

6.  In  the  same  manner  have  them  write  such  letters  as  it, 
w,  m,  V,  X,  0,  a,  e,  and  c,  and  words  made  from  these.  Thus 
will  the  pupils  learn  how  high  to  make  the  unit  letters  be- 
tween any  two  writing  lines. 

7.  Eepeat  the  work  called  for  in  paragraphs  2  and  3  of  this 
section.  Beside  these  spacing  letters  ask  the  pupils  to  make 
a  small  I  as  high  as  two  of  the  n's.  This  will  lead  them  to 
see  not  only  that  I  is  as  high  as  two  n's  written  one  above 
the  other,  but  also  how  much  space  it  occupies  between  two 
writing  lines. 

8.  In  the  same  manner  study  h,  h,  k,  and  /,  if  thought 
best.  It  may  be  better  to  defer  the  study  of  this  last  letter 
until  the  list  of  those  which  extend  below  the  base  line  is 
developed.  Next  combine  these  letters  into  words.  This  work 
should  be  carried  forward  in  a  similar  manner  to  that  described 
in  paragraph  5  for  the  word  "on."  At  intervals  trisect  the 
space  between  two  writing  lines  and  make  tlie  three  n's  by 
which  to  judge  the  height  of  these  letters. 

9.  Follow  this  by  studying  the  height  of  the  capital  letters 
above  the  base  line.  Repeat  the  work  called  for  in  paragraph  3 
of  this  section.  Ask  the  pupils  to  make  an  0  beside  the  lower 
two  n's.  By  such  work  they  will  see  (1)  that  this  capital  is  as 
high  as  two  ?i's ;  (2)  that  it  is  equal  in  height  to  all  of  the 
loops  just  studied;  and  (3)  how  much  of  the  space  between 
any  two  writing  lines  a  capital  letter  should  occupy. 

10.  Apply  to  word  writing  the  suggestions  given  for  loop- 
letter  practice. 

ITow  to  teach  the  length  of  parts  of  letters  extending  helow 
the  base  line.    The  instruction  thus  far  has  demonstrated  for 


54  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

what  the  lower  two  thirds  of  the  space  between  any  two  lines 
on  single-line  ruled  paper  is  used.  There  remains  the  upper 
third  of  this  space  (that  occupied  by  the  upper  n)  to  consider 
in  studying  the  scale  of  script. 

1.  Repeat  the  instruction  called  for  in  paragraphs  2  and  3, 
page  52.  Ask  the  pupils  to  write  a  g,  making  the  loop  extend 
below  the  base  line  just  the  length  of  the  space  occupied  by 
the  upper  n  next  under  this  line  on  which  j  is  written. 

2.  In  the  same  manner  teach  p,  q,  g,  y,  and  z ;  also  J,  G,  Y, 
and  Z.  Apply  the  same  in  word  writing  which  involves  these 
letters.  Carry  forward  this  work  in  connection  with  the  occa- 
sional writing  of  three  w's  between  two  writing  lines.  Thus 
the  pupils  will  constantly  keep  their  writing  unit  before  them 
by  which  to  judge  the  lengtli  of  any  extension  below  the 
base  line. 

3.  After  the  pupil  has  fixed  the  height  or  length  of  any 
letter  in  his  mind  by  working  with  the  three  n'^,  let  him 
write  on  a  fresh  piece  of  paper  the  individual  letter  studied, 
—  this  time  from  a  visualization  of  its  correct  measurement. 

Code  of  rules  summarized  from  the  instruction  on  scale  of 
script,  a.  On  single-line  ruled  paper  all  unit  letters  occupy 
one  third  the  space  above  the  base  line  between  any  two 
writing  lines. 

h.  Any  loop  or  capital  occupies  two  thirds  of  this  space 
above  the  base  line. 

c.  Every  extension  below  the  base  line  extends  downward 
one  third  of  the  space  between  any  two  lines  on  single-line 
ruled  paper. 

d.  Between  any  two  lines  on  single-ruled  paper,  if  letters  of 
extreme  length  happen  over  each  other  (as  a  g  occurring  just 
above  a  B),  they  may  touch,  but  should  never  pass  each  other. 


THE  STUDY  OF  THE  SCRIPT  55 

When  to  teach  the  scale  of  script.  It  is  not  intended  to 
suggest  that  the  teacher  make  a  continued  effort  to  teach  the 
scale  of  the  script  until  every  letter  of  each  class  shall  have 
been  studied  with  reference  to  this  one  thing.  It  is  better  to 
determine  the  height  or  length  of  each  new  letter  as  above 
described  whenever  such  a  form  is  for  the  first  time  taught 
or  directly  reviewed. 

While  it  was  necessary  to  classify  this  instruction  to  teachers 
so  that  the  details  might  be  consecutively  developed,  it  is  hoped 
that  no  teacher  will  be  misled  as  to  the  manner  in  which  this 
work  should  be  taught. 

Teaching  the  numerals 

In  teaching  penmanship  the  numerals  are  often  thought  to 
be  of  small  consequence ;  hence  little  attention  is  given  to  them, 
if,  indeed,  they  are  not  entirely  omitted.  This  is  a  serious  mis- 
take. A  prominent  merchant  once  said  that  in  considering  ap- 
plicants for  a  position  as  bookkeeper  in  his  office,  if  the  first 
person  who  applied  could  write  well,  but  made  figures  poorly, 
he  would  give  preference  to  a  second  who  made  his  figures 
well,  although  his  writing  might  be  poorer  than  that  of  the 
first  applicant.  The  merchant's  idea  was  that  in  ordinary 
business  transactions  the  figures  are  often  the  most  important 
part  of  the  record,  and  therefore  must  be  made  so  that  they 
may  never  be  questioned. 

Whether  or  not  this  incident  represents  the  consensus  of 
opinion  among  business  men,  the  fact  is  they  are  continually 
attaching  greater  importance  to  correctly  formed  figures.  Com- 
mercial colleges  recognize  this  tendency,  and  the  making  of 
figures  legibly  and  rapidly  forms  no  small  part  of  the  penman- 
ship practice  in  these  institutions.    It  is  hoped  that  teachers 


b6  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

will  realize  the  emphasis  given  to  this  matter,  and  constantly 
increase  their  efforts  to  teach  and  require  better-formed 
numerals. 

Measurements  of  the  figures.  In  length.  All  of  the  figures 
excepting  6  above  the  base  line  are  one  and  one-quarter  times 
the  height  of  i.  The  figure  6  is  one  and  one-half  times  the 
height  of  this  letter,  while  7  and  9  extend  below  the  base  line 
one  quarter  of  the  length  of  the  unit  i. 

In  width.  The  figure  2,  measured  from  the  extreme  left 
end  of  its  loop  to  a  point  where  it  touches  the  base  line  at 
the  right ;  the  widest  part  of  3,  measured  from  its  terminat- 
ing point  horizontally  to  the  right-hand  side  of  the  figure ; 
the  4,  measured  from  the  lower  left-hand  angle  horizontally 
to  the  right  where  the  final  curve  crosses  this  hne ;  the  5, 
measured  across  its  lower  part,  as  in  the  case  of  3  above  de- 
scribed ;  and  the  a  part  of  figure  9,  are  all  the  same  in  width, 
—  that  is,  equal  to  the  u  unit  of  width  described  on  page  48 

The  cipher,  as  well  as  the  lower  part  of  6,  is  two  thirds  of 
this  width,  and  the  lower  part  of  8  is  one  half  of  it. 

If  the  pupil  thoroughly  learns  these  measurements,  they 
will  assist  him  materially  in  forming  definite  concepts  of  the 
forms  of  the  figures. 

Important  details  of  form  in  the  capital  letters 

As  helps  in  teaching  the  capital  letters  definitely  and 
specifically,  the  following  important  matters  are  presented. 
They  should  be  emphasized  when  any  one  of  these  letters 
is  made  the  subject  of  a  writing  lesson.  In  this  descriptive 
outline  of  letters,  these  items  of  instruction  are  merely  noted 
under  some  characters,  while  in  the  case  of  other  letters  such 
instruction  is  embodied  in  (questions. 


THE  STUDY  OF  THE  SCRH^T 


57 


Note  1 .  The  measurements  for  these  letters  which  follow  may 
not  be  mathematically  exact,  but  without  question  are  sufficiently 
accurate  to  use  in  teaching. 

Note  2.  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  instruction  which  fol- 
lows is  based  on  the  capital  letters  given  in  the  Medial  Writing 
Books.  Similar  important  points  should  be  emphasized  in  the  teach- 
ing of  any  capital  letters. 

Note  3.  Fig.  21  shows  the  evolution  of  the  capital  letters  from 
the  basal  ellipse.  See  basal  form  No,  7,  page  39.  Every  capital  ex- 
cepting X  is  in  Fig.  21.    In  the  upper  line,  at  the  extreme  left,  are 


0  and  -D  ;  next  E  and  C  ;  next  A  and  G  ;  next  I  and  / ;  next  T,  jP, 
/S,  and  L.  In  the  lower  line,  at  the  extreme  left,  are  P,  i?,  and  B, ; 
next  -ff  and  K  ;  next  M  and  N ;  next  Z  and  Q  ;  next  F,  Z7,  F,  and  W. 
The  X  is  omitted  because  its  two  downstrokes  are  straight  oblique 
lines  and  cannot  be  taken  from  the  side  of  an  ellipse.  When  teach- 
ing any  capital  letter  so  evolved  it  is  both  interesting  and  instructive 
to  show  its  relation  to  the  elliptical  basal  figure. 


1.  Its  beginning  point.    One  and  three-quarters  times  the 
height  of  i  above  the  base  line. 

2.  The  height  of  the  first  part  of  the  letter.    Twice  as 
high  as  i. 


58  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

3.  The  height  of  the  second  part  of  the  letter.  One  and 
one-half  times  the  height  of  i. 

4.  The  width  of  the  letter  at  half  height,  measured  at  right 
angles  to  the  main  slant  of  the  letter.  It  is  two  thirds  the 
width  of  the  unit  u. 

5.  The  terminating  point.  When  N  is  made  for  individual 
letter  practice,  it  ends  at  one  half  of  the  height  of  i  above  the 
base  line. 

6.  The  first  downstroke  of  iV  is  a  curve. 

7.  The  second  downstroke  of  iV  is  a  straight  oblique  line. 

8.  The  first  down  and  up  strokes  separate  at  mid-height. 


1.  Its  beginning  point.    The  same  as  that  of  N. 

2.  The  height  of  the  first  part  of  the  letter.  The  same  as 
the  first  part  of  N. 

3.  The  height  of  the  second  pa,rt  of  the  letter.  One  and 
three-quarters  times  the  height  of  i  above  the  base  line. 

4.  The  height  of  the  third  part  of  the  letter.  The  same  as 
that  of  the  second  part  of  N. 

5.  The  width  between  the  downstrokes  at  half  height  meas- 
ured at  right  angles  to  the  main  slant.  It  is  the  same  width 
as  between  the  two  downstrokes  of  N. 

6.  Its  terminating  poiiit.  For  individual  letter  practice  it 
is  one  half  the  height  of  i  above  the  base  line. 

7.  The  first  downstroke  is  a  curve.  The  pen  may  be  Hfted 
between  the  first  and  second  lines  if  desired. 

8.  The  second  and  third  downstrokes  are  straight  obhque 
lines. 


THE  STUDY  OF  THE  SCRIPT  59 

9.  The  first  two  lines  of  the  letter  separate  at  mid-height. 
10.  The  third  and  fourth  lines  of  the  letter  separate  a  little 
below  mid-height. 


1.  Its  beginning  point.    The  same  as  in  iV. 

2.  The  height  of  the  first  part  of  the  letter.  The  same  as 
that  of  N. 

3.  The  height  of  the  second  part  of  the  letter.  It  is  one  and 
one-half  times  as  high  as  i. 

4.  The  width  of  the  letter  at  half  height,  measured  at  right 
angles  to  the  main  slant  of  the  letter.  It  is  two  thirds  as  wide  as 
the  unit  it.    It  is  a  little  narrower  at  the  top  than  at  this  point. 

5.  The  terminating  curve.  It  is  horizontal  and  is  as  long 
as  the  letter's  width  at  half  height,  noted  in  paragraph  4. 

6.  Its  terminating  point.  It  is  one  and  one-half  times  the 
height  of  i  above  the  base  line. 

Note.    Do  not  make  the  first  downstroke  curve  too  much. 


tMt 


1.  Its  beginning  point.    The  same  as  that  of  N. 

2.  The  height  of  the  first  part  of  the  letter.  The  same  as 
that  of  iV: 

3.  The  height  of  the  second  part  of  the  letter.  The  same 
as  the  second  part  of  iV,  the  third  part  of  M,  and  the  second 
part  of  V. 

4.  The  width  between  the  two  downstrokes.  It  is  the  same 
as  u. 


60  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

5.  The  terminating  point.    When  made  for  individual  let- 
ter practice,  it  is  one  half  the  height  of  i  above  the  base  line. 

6.  In  the  middle  of  the  letter  the  upward  curve  and  down- 
ward straight  oblique  line  separate  at  mid-height  of  the  letter. 

Note.    Do  not  make  the  first  downstroke  curve  too  much. 


1.  The  beginning  point  of  the  letter.  It  is  the  same  as 
that  of  N. 

2.  The  height  of  the  first  part  of  the  letter.  It  is  the  same 
as  that  of  J^. 

3.  The  height  of  the  second  and  third  parts  of  W.  They 
are  the  same,  and  are  one  and  one-half  times  the  height  of  i. 
See  paragraph  3  under  U,  page  59. 

4.  The  width  between  the  two  downstrokes.  It  is  the  same 
as  that  in  U  or  the  unit  u. 

5.  The  width  hetiveen  the  two  upward  curves.  It  is  the 
same  as  the  unit  u. 

6.  The  terminating  curve    It  is  the  same  as  that  in  V. 

7.  The  two  lines  forming  the  middle  of  the  letter  separate 
at  mid-height  of  the  letter. 

Note.  Do  not  curve  the  first  downstroke  too  much.  The  bottoms 
of  W  are  curves. 


The  first  parts  of  U  and  Y  are  identical.  Omit  the  terminat- 
ing line  of  U  and  in  its  place  make  the  j  loop.  For  details  of 
instruction  on  the  upper  part  of  Y  consult  that  given  for  U. 


THE  STUDY  OF  THE  SCRIPT  61 


1.  Tlie  beginning  point  of  the  letter.  The  same  as  that  of  N. 

2.  Its  main  downward  line.  Make  this  a  little  nearer  ver- 
tical than  the  main  slant  of  the  script.  Be  careful  not  to  curve 
this  line. 

3.  The  oblique  cross  line.  This  is  straight.  It  is  usually 
made  downward.  It  crosses  the  main  line  of  the  letter  at 
one  half  its  height. 

4.  The  width  of  the  opening  at  the  very  top  aiid  at  the  very 
bottom  of  the  letter.  It  is  the  same  in  each  case.  The  dis- 
tance from  the  center  of  the  beginning  curve  at  the  top, 
measured  horizontally,  to  the  beginning  of  the  oblique  cross 
line,  and  from  the  bottom  of  this  cross  line,  measured  hori- 
zontally to  the  right,  to  the  center  of  the  curve  touching  the 
base  line,  in  each  instance  is  equal  to  one  and  one-quarter 
times  the  width  of  the  unit  u. 


1.  The  beginning  point  of  the  letter.    It  is  the  same  as 
that  of  N. 

2.  The  first  downwai^d  line.    It  is  a  curve. 

3.  The  small  loop  connecting  the  upper  and  lower  parts 
of  z. 

a.  It  slants ;  it  is  not  horizontal  as  is  the  loop  in  Q. 

b.  It  is  one  quarter  as  high  as  i. 


62  PUBLIC   SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

c.  Make  this  loop  narrovj. 

d.  The  space  between  the  point  where  this  loop  touches 
the  base  line,  measured  toward  the  right  to  the  crossing  point 
of  the  lower  loop  of  Z  on  the  base  line,  is  two  thirds  as  wide 
as  the  unit  u. 

4.  The  loop  heloiv  the  base  line  is  as  long  as  i.  It  is  one 
third  as  wide  as  the  unit  u.    It  crosses  on  the  base  line. 

Note.  In  making  this  letter  three  things  must  be  carefully 
observed. 

a.  Its  slant. 

h.  The  instruction  given  above  in  paragraph  d. 

c.  The  length  of  the  letter  below  the  base  line. 

If  these  instructions  are  followed  faithfully,  the  pupil  will 
be  able  to  make  all  his  Z's  vertically  under  each  other  in  his 
writing  book  without  their  interfering  with  one  another. 


1.  Its  beginning  point.    The  same  as  that  of  K. 

2.  The  first  down  line  is  curved  well  to  the  left  in  its 
lower  half. 

3.  The  small  loop  is  horizontal.  It  is  as  long  as  the  unit  u 
is  wide.  The  crossing  of  this  loop  is  almost  vertically  under 
the  beginning  pomt  of  Q.  The  loop  is  as  high  as  one  quarter 
of  the  height  of  i. 

4.  When  Q  is  made  for  individual  letter  practice,  it  ter- 
minates one  half  the  height  of  i  above  the  base  line. 

Do  not  make  the  final  curve  extend  too  far  to  the  right  of 
the  letter. 


THE  STUDY  OF  THE  SCRIPT  63 


1.  Tlie  beginning  point  of  the  letter.  It  is  twice  as  high  as 
the  unit  i  above  the  base  line. 

2.  The  first  downstroke  curves  slightly  to  the  right  of  a 
vertical  line. 

3.  How  wide  is  the  space  between  the  two  parts  of  H  at  the 
top  ?    It  is  twice  as  wide  as  the  unit  u. 

4.  The  second  downward  line  of  H.  The  upper  half  of  it 
curves  well  to  the  left.  The  lower  half  of  it  is  almost  a 
straight  oblique  line. 

5.  How  wide  is  this  letter  at  the  bottom  ?  It  is  one  and  a 
quarter  times  the  width  of  the  unit  u. 

6.  The  crossing  of  H.    It  is  a  loop. 

7.  How  high  is  this  loop  ?  It  is  one  half  the  height  of  H. 
This  loop  does  not  quite  touch  the  first  downstroke  of  the  letter. 

8.  How  wide  is  this  loop  ?  It  is  two  thirds  as  wide  as  the 
unit  u. 

Note.  The  upward  stroke  of  this  loop  traces  the  second  down- 
ward line  of  H  only  as  high  as  one  quarter  of    /. 

9.  For  single-letter  practice  the  final  curve  ends  above  the 
base  line  one  half  the  height  of  i. 


LllL 


1.  Tlie  beginning  of  the  letter.    It  is  twice  as  high  as  i  above 
the  base  line. 

2.  The  first  downstroke  of  K.    It  curves  slightly  to  the 
right  of  a  vertical  line. 


64  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

3.  How  wide  is  K  at  the  top  ?  It  is  twice  as  wide  as  the 
unit  u. 

Note.    Up  to  this  point  If  and  K  are  identically  the  same. 

4.  The  upper  part  of  the  second  downward  line.  It  is  a 
reversed  curve. 

5.  Where  is  the  small  loop  located  ?  At  one  half  the 
height  of  K.  Its  left  end  just  touches  the  first  line  of  the 
letter. 

6.  Is  this  horizontal  ?  No.  It  slants  at  a  right  angle  to 
the  main  slant  of  the  whole  letter.    Make  this  loop  small. 

7.  Compare  the  width  of  the  upper  and  loiver  parts  of  K. 
The  lower  part  is  one  half  as  wide  as  the  upper  part,  meas- 
ured at  a  point  one  and  one-half  times  the  height  of  i  above 
the  base  line. 

8.  How  wide  is  K  on  the  base  line  ?  From  the  point  where 
the  first  downstroke  touches  the  base  line,  to  the  center  of 
the  final  curve  next  to  the  right,  it  is  one  and  one-quarter 
times  as  wide  as  the  unit  u. 


/  ,/ 


1.  The  first  downward  line.    It  is  exactly  like  that  of  H. 

2.  Where  do  the  downward  and  upward  lijies  of  the  letter 
separate  ?  At  a  point  one  and  one-half  times  the  height  of 
i  above  the  base  line. 

3.  How  wide  is  the  oval  part  of  P  ?  It  is  equal  to  the 
height  of  i,  which  is  a  little  greater  than  the  width  of  the 
unit  u.  Measure  this  at  right  angles  to  the  main  slant  of 
the  letter. 


THE  STUDY  OF  THE  SCRIPT  65 

4.  How  near  to  the  base  line  is  the  bottom  of  this  oval  part 
of  F  /    The  distance  is  three  quarters  the  height  of  i. 

5.  Do  not  have  the  final  point  of  F  quite  touch  the  first 
down  curve  of  the  letter. 


1.  The  first  downward  line.    It  is  exactly  like  that  of  IT. 

2.  Where  do  the  downward  and  upward  lines  separate? 
At  the  same  point  at  which  these  lines  separate  in  F.  See 
paragraph  2  under  that  letter. 

3.  ITow  'wide  are  the  upper  and  lower  parts  of  B  /  They 
are  equal  in  width  to  the  oval  part  of  F.  See  paragraph  3 
under  that  letter. 

4.  Where  is  the  small  loop  which  connects  the  upper  and 
loiver  parts  of  B?    It  is  at  half  the  height  of  the  letter. 

5.  What  is  the  axis  of  this  loop  ?    It  is  horizontal. 

6.  Hovj  far  is  the  left-hand  end  of  this  loop  from  the  first 
downstroke  of  the  letter  ?  This  distance  is  equal  to  two  thirds 
of  the  unit  u. 

7.  Where  is  the  terminating  point  of  B?  It  is  at  a  point 
one  quarter  as  high  as  i  above  the  base  line,  and  the  same 
distance  to  the  right  of  the  first  downstroke  of  B. 


^ 


1.  For  the  first  downward  line,  the  point  of  separation 
between  the  first  two  lines,  and  the  width  of  the  oral  part  of 
the  letter  at  the  top,  the  same  instruction  should  be  given  as 
occurs  under  F,  paragraphs  1,  2,  and  3. 


66  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

2.  The  small  loop  connecting  the  upper  and  lower  parts  of 
the  letter. 

a.  It  occurs  at  half-height. 

h.  Its  axis  is  not  horizontal  as  iu  B.  Its  slant  is  at  right 
angles  to  the  main  slant  of  the  letter. 

c.  This  loop  is  ve7^y  small.  Compare  it  with  the  loops  of 
H,  Q,  and  D. 

3.  How  does  the  width  of  the  lower  part  of  B  compare 
with  that  of  the  upper  part  ?  It  is  one  half  as  wide.  See 
paragraph  7  under  K,  page  64. 

4.  What  is  the  width  of  this  letter  on  the  base  line  ?  The 
same  as  in  K.  See  instruction  in  paragraph  8  under  that 
letter. 


1.  The  beginning  point  of  the  letter.    It  is  the  same  as  in  N. 

2.  ffow  wide  is  the  horizontal  top  of  T  ?  It  is  one  and  one- 
quarter  times  as  wide  as  the  unit  u.    It  is  a  reversed  curve. 

3.  What  kind  of  a  line  is  the  downstroke  of  the  letter  ?  It 
is  a  slightly  reversed  curve. 

4.  Where  is  the  terminating  point  of  T?  It  is  at  a  point 
one  and  one-half  times  the  width  of  the  unit  u  to  the  left  of 
the  downward  stroke  of  T,  and  one  third  the  height  of  i  above 
the  base  line. 


The  same  instruction  given  in  T  should  be  repeated  for 
Fy  up  to  the  horizontal  crossing  Hne.  This  is  called  the 
"characteristic  mark,"  for  it  is  that  which  differentiates  F 
from  T.    This  mark  consists  of  a  horizontal  curve  as  wide 


THE  STUDY  OF  THE  SCRIPT  67 

as  the  unit  u,  joined  in  a  very  acute  angle  to  a  short  down- 
ward line  which  curves  to  the  left  of  vertical.  The  "  charac- 
teristic mark  "  occurs  at  half  the  height  of  F. 


1.  The  beginning  point  of  this  letter.  It  is  on  the  base 
line.  This  is  one  of  three  capital  letters  which  so  begin. 
The  other  two  are  /  and  J. 

2.  What  kind  of  a  line  is  the  downstroke  ?  It  is  a  re- 
versed curve. 

3.  Where  is  the  crossing  of  S  ?  It  is  at  one  half  the  height 
of  the  letter. 

4.  ITow  wide  is  the  loop  of  S  ?  It  is  one  third  as  wide  as 
the  unit  u. 

Notice  that  the  lower  part  of  S  is  quite  similar  in  form  to 
that  of  s. 

5.  Where  is  the  terminating  point  of  S  ?  It  is  slightly 
above  the  first  upward  line  of  the  letter.  In  other  details 
the  instruction  given  for  the  terminating  point  of  T  should 
be  repeated  for  S.    See  paragraph  4  under  T. 


1.  The  beginning  point  of  the  letter.    It  is  one  quarter  the 
height  of  i  below  the  top  of  L. 

2.  What  kind  of  a  line  is  the  downstroke  of  the  letter  ?  It 
is  a  reversed  curve. 

3.  Where  does  the  change  in  direction  of  this  curve  occur  ? 
At  one  half  the  height  of  the  letter. 


68  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

4.  Describe  the  loop  of  L.  It  is  horizontal  and  like  that 
of  ^. 

5.  Where  is  the  terminating  point  of  the  letter  ?  It  is  at  a 
point  one  half  the  height  of  i  above  the  base  line,  and  one 
and  a  quarter  times  the  width  of  the  unit  ti  to  the  right  of 
the  downstroke  of  the  letter. 


1.  The  beginning  point  of  the  letter.  It  is  twice  the  height 
of  i  above  the  base  line. 

2.  What  is  the  general  shape  of  0  ?  It  is  that  of  an  ellipse, 
two  thirds  as  wide  as  it  is  high. 

3.  0  is  opened  a  very  little  at  the  top. 

4.  The  terminating  curve  passes  down  through  the  letter, 
so  that  it  nearly  divides  its  width  into  thirds.  Two  thirds  of 
this  width  is  at  the  right  of  the  final  curve  and  one  third  at 
the  left  of  it.    This  is  the  same  in  D. 


1.  Its  beginning  point.    It  is  one  half  the  height  of  i  below 
the  top  of  the  letter. 

2.  What  hind  of  a  line  is  the  first  of  C  ?   It  is  an  upward 
curve  to  the  left. 

Note.    This  should  be  emphasized.   A  common  mistake  in  form- 
ing C  is  to  make  its  top  too  indistinct  because  of  a  short  Une. 

3.  What  is  the  general  shape  of  C  ?  It  is  that  of  an  ellipse 
of  the  proportions  of  0. 


THE  STUDY  OF  THE  SCRIPT  69 

4.  Compare  the  hottom  of  this  letter  with  its  top.  The  bot- 
tom is  ivider.  If  it  were  made  as  narrow  as  the  top,  it  would 
cause  the  small  letter,  with  which  C  might  be  joined,  to  be  too 
near  the  capital  letter. 


1.  The  beginning  point  of  the  letter.   The  same  as  in  C. 

2.  What  kind  of  a  line  is  the  first  of  E  ?  It  is  an  upward 
curve  to  the  left.  This  is  important  for  the  reason  stated  in 
paragraph  2  under  C. 

Z.  At  what  part  of  the  letter  is  the  small  loop  /  It  is  a 
little  above  the  mid-height  of  E. 

4.  Hoio  does  this  divide  the  letter  ?  Two  fifths  of  its  height 
is  above  the  loop  and  three  fifths  below  it.  These  measure- 
ments are  to  be  taken  on  the  axis  line  of  the  letter.  The 
loop  should  be  made  small. 

5.  The  bottom  of  E,  as  in  C,  should  be  wider  than  the  top 
of  the  letter  and  for  the  same  reason. 


Since  this  letter  was  explained  in  the  model  lesson  on 
teaching  a  letter  definitely  and  specifically,  the  instruction 
on  it  may  be  found  on  pages  41-43. 


1.  The  beginning  point  of  the  letter.    It  is  the  same  as  in  iV. 

2.  The  first  line  of  the  letter.  It  is  an  upward  curve  to  the 
left,  but  not  so  long  a  line  as  in  C  and  E.  This  is  important. 
See  paragraph  2  under  C. 


70  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

3.  How  high  is  the  second  'part  of  A  ?  It  is  one  and  one- 
half  times  the  height  of  i  above  the  base  line. 

4.  How  wide  is  the  opening  near  the  top  of  A  /  It  is  equal 
to  one  quarter  of  the  height  of  i. 

5.  What  kind  of  a  line  is  the  second  downstroJce  of  A? 
It  is  a  straight  oblique  line. 

6.  Where  does  this  line  separate  from  the  upivard  curve 
connected  with  it  ?  At  one  half  the  height  of  the  letter. 
This  is  identical  with   U,  W,   Y,  and   G. 

7.  How  wide  is  the  oval  part  of  A  ?  It  is  one  and  one- 
quarter  times  the  width  of  the  unit  u,  measured  at  right 
angles  to  the  main  slant  of  A. 

8.  The  terminatiiig  point.  When  made  for  individual 
practice,  this  is  at  one  half  the  height  of  i  above  the  base 
line  and  as  far  to  the  right  of  the  downward  oblique  line  as 
the  unit  u. 


This  letter  is  the  same  as  A  to  the  point  where  the  oblique 
line  touches  the  base  line.  To  complete  G  add  such  a  loop 
as  was  taught  in  Y. 


J-U 


1.  The  beginning  point  of  the  letter.    It  is  on  the  base  line. 

2.  What  kind  of  a  line  is  the  first  of  line  I  ?  It  is  an  up- 
ward curve  to  the  left. 

Note.  The  instruction  in  these  two  paragraphs  is  extremely  im- 
portant. A  great  many  children  will  begin  I  at  what  should  be  its 
terminating  point.  In  teaching  this  letter  be  sure  to  correct  such  a 
mistake,  even  if  it  be  in  an  upper  grade. 


THE  STUDY  OF  THE  SCRIPT  71 

3.  Where  is  the  crossing  point  of  the  lower  part  of  I  ?  It 
is  at  a  point  equal  to  one  quarter  the  height  of  i  above  the 
base  Hne. 

4.  How  wide  is  the  upper  part  of  I  ?  It  is  two  thirds  as 
wide  as  the  unit  u. 

5.  Its  terminating  point  is  identical  with  that  of  T,  F, 
and  S. 


1.  The  beginning  point  and  first  upward  stroke  are  iden- 
tical with  those  of  /. 

2.  The  hack  of  the  letter.  It  is  a  straight  oblique  line  for 
the  greater  part  of  its  length. 

3.  Where  do  all  the  lines  of  the  letter  cross  /    At  the  base 

line. 

Note.  The  best  way  to  teach  this  letter  is  to  make  a  dot  on  the 
base  line.  Have  the  first  upward  stroke  begin  at  this  dot  and  the 
downward  and  second  upward  lines  pass  through  it. 

4.  How  wide  is  the  upper  part  of  J  ?  As  wide  as  that  of 
I, ' —  two  thirds  of  the  unit  u. 

5.  How  wide  is  the  loop  below  the  base  line  ?  One  half  as 
wide  as  the  upper  part  of  J. 


1.  Its  beginning  point.    It  is  one  and  one-half  times  the 
height  of  i  above  the  base  line. 

2.  What  kind  of  a  line  is  the  first  of  &  I    It  is  a  reversed 
curve  made  downward. 


72  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

3.  WJiat  kind  of  a  line  is  the  second  stroke  of  &  ?  It  is  an 
upward  reversed  curve  to  the  full  height  of  the  character. 

4  ITow  is  the  letter  completed  ?  Make  a  downward  curve 
to  the  left  and  end  it  at  a  point  equal  to  one  half  the  height 
of  i  above  the  base  line.  This  is  very  similar  to  the  last 
curve  of  0  and  D. 

5.  How  wide  is  &  between  its  downward  and  upward  re- 
versed curves  ?    It  is  two  thirds  the  width  of  the  unit  u. 

6.  How  wide  is  the  oval  part  of  &  ?  It  is  as  wide  as  the 
unit  u. 

How  to  correct  angular  script 

In  the  examination  of  written  work  from  an  entire  class 
it  is  occasionally  noticed  that  several  of  the  pupils  are  writ- 
ing too  angularly.  Almost  every  teacher  has  at  some  time 
asked  the  question  of  a  pupil,  "What  is  that,— a  it  or  an 
n  ? "  There  is  probably  no  one  thing  which  will  do  more 
to  make  script  illegible  than  making  angles  at  the  tops  and 
bottoms  of  letters  in  certain  instances  where  there  should  be 
curves.  Hence  the  importance  of  correcting  such  a  style  of 
writing  is  obvious.  This  will  prove  to  be  a  simple  matter  if 
sufficient  practice  in  the  following  instruction  is  given  to  those 
who  need  it. 

1.  Write  the  word  "Acadia "  on  the  board  in  good-sized 
letters,  and  assist  the  pupils  to  form  a  mental  concept  of  it 
as  a  whole. 

2.  Erase  the  tops  of  the  letters  in  the  entire  word  to  a 
point  one  fourth  of  the  height  of  i  above  the  base  line.  There 
will  remain  only  the  curves  at  the  bottoms  of  the  letters. 

3.  To  emphasize  more  strongly  that  these  are  curves,  it  is 
well  to  explain  from  where  they  came.    To  do  this,  make  a 


THE  STUDY  OF  THE  SCRIPT  73 

series  of  ellipses  in  place  of  the  upper  parts  of  the  letters 
erased,  and  fit  the  bottoms  of  these  ellipses  into  the  curves 
of  the  letters  which  were  left  upon  the  board.  Thus  the 
pupil  is  led  to  see  that  the  bases  of  these  letters  are  identi- 
cal with  the  curves  at  the  bottoms  of  the  ellipses. 


CUxZ^iiAyOU 


Fig.  22 
Still  another  way  in  which  this  lesson  in  curvature  may 
be  taught  is  first  to  make  on  the  board  a  series  of  ^'s.  The 
more  accurately  these  are  made,  the  more  uniform  and  sym- 
metrical will  be  the  curves  between  the  letters.  Emphasize 
this  symmetry. 

4.  From  these  ^''s  develop  the  word  "adjudicated"  as  shown 
in  Fig.  23.  Explain  to  the  pupil  that  the  curves  in  and  be- 
tween the  letters  of  this  word  are  the  same,  when  perfectly 

(J  Fig.  23 

made,  as  those  between  a  series  of  i's.    These  would  be  the 
same  as  the  curve  at  the  bottom  of  an  ellipse. 

5.  To  simplify  this  matter  for  a  grade  in  wliich  scholars 
could  not  understand  such  a  word  as  that  given  in  para- 
graph 4,  make  six  f  s  in  a  chain,  and  from 

these  develop  the  word  "add."   See  Fig.  24.   [yfy^yjjyj/ 
.'-/-.       6.  If  further  simplification  is  de- 
^^    sired,  make  a  u.    Place  a  dot  over 
Fig.  2o   ^^  ^^^^  downstroke  of  this  letter,  thus  converting  it 
into  an  i,  and  make  a  t  out  of  the  second  downstroke  of  the  n. 
Thus  the  word  "  it "  will  be  developed. 


74  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

7.  Reference  to  the  ellipse  has  been  made  in  the  foregoing 
instruction.  If  pupils  do  not  understand  this  figure,  use  o  in 
teaching  instead  of  the  eUipse.  Show  that  the  curvature 
of  the  letters  comes  from  the  top  and  the  bottom  of  this 
character. 

8.  The  curves  at  the  tops  of  the  small  letters,  as  n,  m,  &c., 
are  made  from  the  top  of  an  eUipse.  This  can  be  demon- 
strated as  easily  as  to  show  the  origin  of  the  curves  at  the 
bottoms  of  the  letters. 

What  to  do  with  left-handed  pupils 

The  question  is  frequently  asked,  "  Shall  we  teach  the 
left-handed  child  to  use  his  right  hand  in  writing  ? "  In  reply 
it  may  be  said  that  in  the  majority  of  cases  it  is  both  possi- 
ble and  desirable  to  change  the  use  of  the  pen  from  the  left 
to  the  right  hand. 

If  this  is  attempted,  two  things  should  be  done.  First, 
every  Httle  child  when  he  enters  school  should  be  observed, 
and  if  any  one  is  found  to  be  left-handed,  he  should  be  taught 
how  to  use  the  pencil  in  the  right  hand.  Second,  the  teacher 
should  secure  the  cooperation  of  the  parent  to  help  and  en- 
courage the  child  in  liis  work. 

The  author  once  talked  about  this  matter  with  a  very 
capable  principal  m  a  western  city  of  100,000  population. 
She  said  that  her  first-grade  teachers  were  instructed  not  to 
allow  any  left-handed  pupils  to  use  the  pencil  excepting  in 
the  right  hand.  In  one  instance  the  teacher  had  begun  such 
work  with  a  little  boy.  His  mother  came  with  him  to  school 
the  next  morning  and  asked  indignantly  why  he  was  being 
taught  to  use  his  right  hand.  After  the  principal  had  given 
her  reasons  for  this  change,  she  asked  the  mother  if,  for  the 


THE  STUDY  OF  THE  SCRIPT  75 

next  ten  days,  she  would  be  kind  enough  not  to  oppose  the 
teacher's  work  in  any  way  when  the  child  was  at  home.  It 
was  agreed  that  if  at  the  end  of  that  time  the  boy  did  not  use 
his  right  hand  in  writing,  the  teacher  would  discontinue  her 
efforts  in  that  direction.  When  this  story  was  told,  more 
than  one  year  had  passed,  and  the  principal  said  that  she  had 
not  seen  the  mother  in  the  meantime  and  that  the  boy  wrote 
with  his  right  hand. 


CHAPTEE  III 

MOVEMENT 

The  work  of  teaching  penmanship  is  twofold.  First,  the 
teacher  must  help  the  pupil  form  his  concepts  of  the  letters 
which  he  has  to  make.  This  is  mental.  Second,  she  must 
assist  him  to  acquire  the  ability  to  move  his  arm  and  hand 
across  the  paper  as  he  writes  those  forms.  This  is  the  maifi- 
ual  part  of  the  process.  If  a  pupil  "  carves  "  passably  good 
letters  on  his  paper,  the  average  teacher  feels  that  her  work 
is  finished.  She  will  say  of  some  boy,  "  Why,  John  writes 
like  copperplate.  What  more  is  needed  ? "  In  her  idea  of 
the  boy's  final  product,  and  in  her  notion  that  her  efforts  to 
teach  him  should  cease,  she  makes  a  great  mistake.  Penman- 
ship is  not  now  taught  as  an  art,  but  is  taught  for  its  utility. 
The  writing  of  to-day  must  be  legible  and  rapid,  and  any  script 
which  lacks  either  of  these  essentials  fails  to  meet  the  uni- 
versal requirements.  If  a  child  slowly  "carves"  his  letters, 
he  is  drawing  script  characters  instead  of  geometrical  forms. 

The  importance  of  movement 

A  principal  of  a  school  in  a  large  city  was  once  asked  by 
a  business  man  to  recommend  a  grammar-school  graduate  to 
write  in  his  office.  The  "copperplate"  boy  was  sent,  and 
after  working  one  day  was  discharged.  Tlie  principal  was 
surprised  beyond  expression,  and  asked  the  gentleman  why 
the  boy  was  dismissed.    The  reply  was :  "  The  day  that  boy 

76 


MOVEMENT  77 

came  to  me  I  had  one  hundred  entries  to  make  in  my  day- 
book.  He  wrote  one  and  I  wrote  ninety-nine." 

Every  year  the  demand  for  rapid  penmanship  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  grows  greater  and  more  insistent.  The  only  way 
of  satisfying  this  requirement  is  to  teach  applied  movement. 
Furthermore,  this  work  must  show  actual  results,  such  as  are 
now  looked  for  from  the  successful  teaching  of  geography, 
reading,  history,  or  any  other  study  in  the  grade  curriculum. 
If  a  teacher  thinks  herself  incapable  of  giving  this  instruc- 
tion, there  is  but  one  thing  to  do,  and  that  is  to  fit  herself  for 
it.  In  so  doing,  however,  she  will  not  be  expected  to  become 
a  specialist  in  penmanship,  any  more  than  she  would  be  ex- 
pected to  do  so  in  the  subjects  of  music  or  drawing,  which 
she  teaches.  To-day,  in  towns  where  there  are  no  specialists 
in  these  subjects,  the  results  obtained  in  teaching  them  are 
far  more  excellent  than  those  gained  in  teaching  penmanship 
by  the  same  grade  teachers.  It  is  hoped,  therefore,  that  the 
teacher  will  regard  the  following  instruction  as  lessons  for 
her  to  master,  in  order  that  she  may  teach  them  properly  to 

her  pupils. 

Simplified  pedagogy 

Simplified  pedagogy  may  be  expressed  as  follows :  first,  ex- 
plain to  the  pupil  the  work  required  of  him ;  second,  explain 
the  process  by  which  it  is  to  be  performed ;  third,  drill  him  in 
this  process  ;  fourth,  such  drill  results  in  training  him  in  that 
particular  technique ;  and  fifth,  continued  training  results  in 
the  education  of  the  child.  No  better  outline  than  this  can  be 
suggested  for  the  teaching  of  movement  and  its  application, 

1.  Movement  explained.  Explain  to  the  pupils  what  is 
meant  by  movement  in  writing,  —  the  new  thing  they  are  to 
study.    To  do  so,  compare  the  finger  motion,  which  they  use 


78  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

in  forming  letters,  with  the  larger  movement  of  the  arm  as  it 
rests  upon  the  muscle.  Name  the  first  the  finger  motion,  and 
the  second  the  arm  or  muscular  movement.  To  be  exact,  all 
motion  is  movement,  but  to  differentiate  in  this  case  it  will 
be  sufficiently  correct  to  have  the  pupils  name  and  know 
these  as  termed  above.  Then  ask  the  pupils  to  place  the 
right  arm  on  the  desk,  as  described  on  page  4,  paragraph  c. 
When  they  have  done  so,  help  each  one  to  move  his  forearm 
on  its  muscular  rest  in  two  directions :  first,  laterally,  as  one 
does  when  writing  across  the  paper ;  second,  in  a  push-and- 
pull  fashion  in  and  out  of  the  sleeve.  Such  a  movement  an 
adult  would  use  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  in  forming  the  up- 
strokes and  downstrokes  of  the  letters. 

More  completely  stated,  the  purpose  of  this  work  is  to  train 
the  forearm  to  move  continuously,  so  that  the  letters  may  be 
formed  consecutively  as  the  hand  glides  across  the  page. 

From  such  elucidation  and  exercises  the  pupils  form  their 
first  idea  of  "movement." 

2.  Applied  movement.  Explain  to  the  class  that  every  line 
corresponds  exactly  to  the  movement  used  in  making  it. 
Illustrate  this  instruction  by  making  a  horizontal  line  on 
the  board  with  one  sweep  of  the  arm.  Ask  the  pupils,  "How 
did  I  make  that  line  ? "  It  is  probable  that  almost  every  one 
will  answer,  "  The  crayon  made  it."  Although  this  is  in  part 
correct,  carry  the  questioning  further.  Hold  the  crayon  still 
and  allow  the  end  of  it  to  touch  the  board.  Ask  the  class  if 
the  crayon  is  making  a  line.  The  answer  will  be  "  No."  Ask 
them  to  look  again.  They  will  say  that  the  crayon  is  making 
no  line.  With  a  sweep  of  the  arm  draw  another  horizontal 
line  on  the  board.  Repeat  the  question,  "  How  did  I  make 
that  line?"    Then  every  pupil  will  see  that  the  line  was 


MOVEMENT  79 

made  because  the  crayon  touched  the  board  and  the  arm 
moved.  Thus  the  pupils  are  led  to  see  applied  movement  in 
its  simplest  form. 

3.  Technical  application  of  movement  to  geometrical  forms. 
Explain  a  technical  application  of  movement.  To  do  so,  show 
that  every  geometrical  form  corresponds  exactly  to  the  move- 
ment used  in  making  it.  The  truer  the  circular  movement 
which  the  arm  describes,  the  more  perfect  will  be  the  circle 
drawn.  In  a  similar  manner  show  that  the  hand  must  move 
along  the  four  equal  sides  of  a  square,  or  the  three  sides  of  a 
triangle,  in  order  to  draw  either  of  these  figures.  To  emphasize 
this,  show  the  class  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  move  the 
arm  in  a  circular  motion  and  draw  a  square  in  doing  so.  Thus 
the  pupils  not  only  see  a  technical  application  of  movement, 
but  they  also  learn  that  the  figure  made  must,  in  every  de- 
tail, correspond  with  the  particular  movement  used  in  draw- 
ing it.  Assist  them  to  reason  from  this  method  of  teaching 
drawing,  which  they  know  to  be  correct,  to  a  similar  appli- 
cation of  movement  when  writing  letter  forms. 

4.  Practical  application  of  movement  to  written  forms.  To 
illustrate  this  point  explain  that  every  capital,  small  letter, 
and  figure  corresponds  exactly  to  the  movement  which  makes 
any  one  of  them.  As  an  example,  develop  n  as  follows :  Say 
to  the  class,  "  First,  I  think  of  n ;  second,  I  will  move  my 
arm  just  as  I  think  every  line  of  the  letter;  and  third,  I 
will  let  the  crayon  touch  the  board  and  make  n  just  as  I 
think  it,  and  exactly  as  my  arm  has  moved  to  represent  every 
line  of  the  letter."  Thus  the  teacher  writes  (not  "carves") 
the  n.  Call  this  the  n  letter  movement.  In  a  similar  way  the 
pupils  should  name  every  particular  movement  for  the  letter 
it  forms,  as  the  /,  z,  s,  or  capital  H  letter  movements.   For 


80  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

example,  show  that  it  is  impossible  to  make  an  I  with  a  z  let- 
ter movement,  for  any  letter  corresponds  in  every  detail  to  the 
movement  used  in  making  it,  just  as  any  geometrical  figure 
would  correspond  to  the  movement  used  in  shaping  it. 

5.  Practical  application  of  movement  to  written  words.  Show 
that  every  written  word  corresponds  exactly  to  the  move- 
ment used  in  writing  it.  Name  every  particular  movement 
for  the  word  it  produces,  as  the  "  it,"  "  did,"  ''  come,"  word 
movements.  To  emphasize,  show  the  class  that  it  is  impossible 
to  write  the  word  "come  "  with  the  "did"  word  movement, 
for  any  word  corresponds  in  every  detail  to  the  movement 
used  in  writing  it.  Through  the  development  of  these  succes- 
sive explanatory  steps  the  pupils  are  led  to  see  these  things : 

Three  thhigs  in  movement  learned  hy  the  pupil.  1.  What 
is  meant  by  "  movement "  when  writing. 

2.  That  every  letter  or  word  has  its  own  particular  move- 
ment. 

3.  That  writing  is  applied  movement.  * 
The  teacher  should  strongly  emphasize  these  facts : 

1.  That  continued  drill  on  any  individual  movement  will 
make  its  execution  automatic. 

2.  If  the  pupil  follows  these  suggestions,  he  will  write  and 
not  "  carve  "  his  letters  and  words. 

Class-room  conference  to  elucidate  elementary  movement 

Note.  The  foregoing  suggestions  for  the  ehicidation  of  ele- 
mentary movement  work  are  designed  for  class-room  conference.  The 
teacher,  however,  must  not  feel  obliged  to  develop  in  one  talk  what 
has  been  outhned  in  the  last  five  paragraphs.  She  should  take  the  time 
of  several  writing  lessons  to  do  so.  It  is  foundation  work,  and  the  suc- 
cessful results  hoped  for  in  teaching  it  will  depend  largely  on  how 
clearly  defined  it  is  in  the  mind  of  the  pupil. 


MOVEMENT  81 


The  ideal  writing  motion 


Before  giving  definite  and  specific  instructions  in  teaching 
movement  and  its  application,  it  will  be  necessary  to  explain 
exactly  what  constitutes  the  writing  motion. 

The  origin  of  the  so-called  "  muscular  movement "  used  in 
writing  lies  in  the  muscles  which  move  the  shoulder  forward 
and  backward.  The  center  of  this  writing  motion  lies  in  the 
fleshy  part  of  the  forearm  just  in  front  of  the  elbow.  This  is 
the  arm  rest  described  on  page  4. 

The  question  is  sometimes  asked,  "  Should  the  fingers  move 
in  forming  the  letters  ? "  The  answer  is,  that  finger  movement 
should  never  be  taught.  The  young  child,  however,  uses  his 
fingers  to  some  extent  when  shaping  letters.  To  assist  him 
to  acquire  an  easier  process  for  such  work  he  should  be 
helped  to  make  large  letters.  This  should  first  be  done  on 
the  blackboard,  and  then  at  his  desk  on  unruled  paper  with 
a  large,  soft  crayon  pencil.  The  exaggerated  size  of  script  will 
induce  a  movement  of  the  forearm  when  writing  on  paper, 
for  his  little  fingers  cannot  shape  it.  The  first  unit  letters 
made  on  unruled  paper  should  not  be  less  than  one  inch  high. 
Such  induced  movement  should  be  emphasized  through  the 
early  school  life  of  the  pupil  and  applied  as  the  letters  are 
reduced  in  size.  Thus  will  be  laid  the  foundation  for  teach- 
ing technical  movement,  —  work  which  our  best  educators 
agree  ought  to  begin  in  the  third  or  fourth  grade. 

Notwithstanding  the  procedure  outlined  above,  the  proba- 
bility is  that  some  of  the  young  pupils  will  move  their  fingers 
a  little  in  letter  formation,  and  may  not  wholly  forget  to  use 
them  in  after  years.  Therefore  the  forearm  movement  must 
be  practiced,  which  will  help  them  to  overcome  the  finger 


82  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

motion  to  a  great  extent.  Such  of  it  as  they  may  retain  will 
not  be  the  result  of  conscious  effort. 

A  teacher  who  had  had  phenomenal  success  in  teaching 
muscular  movement  in  grade  work  was  once  asked  if  all  her 
pupils  used  it  at  all  times  and  never  moved  their  fingers  when 
forming  letters.  Her  very  significant  reply  was,  "I  never  saw 
a  class  that  attained  one  hundred  per  cent  in  any  study." 

Many  adults  have  trained  themselves  to  always  use  the 
muscular  movement.  There  are  great  differences,  however, 
between  an  adult  and  a  public  school  pupil,  both  in  the  actu- 
ating motives  and  in  the  existing  conditions  under  which  each 
performs  his  work. 

What  gives  speed  to  writing  is  the  ability  to  glide  the  hand 
along  the  paper  to  keep  pace  with  the  formation  of  letters. 
Compare  such  an  easy,  graceful  movement  with  the  constant 
change  of  hand  rest  which  the  average  pupil  employs  in  mov- 
ing his  hand  across  the  page. 

From  the  foregoing  it  may  be  deduced  that  the  ideal  writ- 
ing motion  is  one  in  which  the  muscular  movement  is  the 
dominating  power.  If,  however,  a  person  unconsciously  uses 
his  fingers  in  the  partial  formation  of  certain  letters  or  words, 
it  is  not  objectionable,  providing  his  hand  glides  rapidly  along 
the  paper  as  he  continues  the  process  of  writing. 

Studying  the  movements  of  the  muscles 

Three  suggestions  are  given  to  help  in  teaching  the  pupil 
to  understand  the  movements  of  the  muscles  in  the  shoulder 
and  arm. 

1.  Feeling  the  muscle  and  its  vibratory  motion,  a.  Ask  the 
pupil  to  hold  his  left  arm  up  before  him.  Tliis  hand  sliould  be  in 
front  of  his  body  and  turned  so  that  its  palm  faces  the  ceiling. 


MOVEMENT  83 

h.  Ask  him  to  place  the  muscular  rest  of  the  right  arm  in 
the  flattened  palm  of  the  left  hand. 

c.  Ask  him  to  close  the  fingers  of  his  left  hand  on  the 
right-arm  muscle  and  grasp  it  tightly.  Thus  he  will  feel 
this  muscle. 

d.  Ask  him  to  push  and  pull  this  muscle  as  he  grasps  it, 
allowing  it  to  move  (not  slide)  on  the  palm  of  the  left  hand. 

e.  Eelease  the  right-arm  muscle  from  the  left  hand  and 
place  it  properly  for  writing.  As  it  rests  on  the  desk,  con- 
tinue the  vibratory  motion  practiced  in  the  left  hand  (par- 
agraph d).  The  pupil  should  thoroughly  understand  this 
muscular  action,  having  felt  it  in   the  palm   of  his  hand. 

/.  Ask  him  to  repeat  the  work  called  for  in  paragraph  e. 
As  he  does  so  have  him  put  his  left  hand  on  his  right  shoul- 
der, and  he  will  feel  the  forward  and  backward  movement 
which  causes  the  forearm  to  move  in  the  same  directions 
on  its  muscular  rest. 

2.  Comparing  this  muscle  to  soft  rubber.  A  second  method 
of  teaching  the  vibratory  action  of  the  muscle  is  to  ask  the 
pupil  to  imagine  that  the  fleshy  part  of  his  right  arm,  in  front 
of  the  elbow,  is  a  piece  of  soft  rubber.  Should  he  push  on  this, 
the  hand  would  move  out  of  his  sleeve,  while  a  slight  reverse 
motion  would  cause  the  hand  to  return  to  its  original  position. 
He  should  practice  these  two  movements  briskly  and  thus 
cause  the  hand  to  move  rapidly  in  and  out  of  his  sleeve. 

See  suggestions  for  teaching  the  "  push  and  pull "  exercise 
on  page  92.  This  exercise  exemplifies  the  muscular  movement. 

3.  Boiling  the  hand  on  a  cylindrical  form.  A  third  method 
sometimes  used  is  to  have  the  pupil  place  his  right  forearm 
and  hand  on  the  desk,  as  illustrated  in  Fig.  8,  on  page  17. 
Under  the  palm  of  the  hand  may  be  placed  a  pencil,  straight 


8^  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

penholder,  small  spool,  or  a  small  model  cylinder  used  in 
teaching  drawing.  As  the  pupil  pushes  and  pulls  on  the 
muscular  rest  of  the  forearm,  the  cylindrical  form  will  roll 
under  the  hand,  which  will  make  easier  the  process  of  acquir- 
ing muscular  movement. 

The  mechanics  of  movement 

In  the  development  of  training  in  any  technique  certain 
mechanics  are  necessary.  If  these  are  properly  unfolded  to 
the  pupil,  and  intelligently  practiced  by  him,  they  cannot 
fail  to  become  automatic.  This  means  applied  edttcation  for 
the  student.  In  the  mechanics  of  teaching  movement  one 
should  first  note  the  technical  exercises  which  are  intended 
to  help  the  pupil  gain  control  of  his  forearm  while  writing, 
^very  teacher  is  acquainted  with  the  forms  of  exercises  rep- 
resenting the  lateral  sweep  across  the  page,  the  push-and-puU 
muscular  movement,  the  ellipses,  —  both  horizontal  and  on 
the  main  slant  of  writing,  —  and  others  of  similar  nature. 
An  attempt  will  be  made  to  suggest  how  to  teach  these  ex- 
ercises, as  well  as  how  to  apply  the  movement  which  they 
are  intended  to  help  the  pupil  gain. 

How  the  technical  exercises  should  be  practiced 

.SLIDE    RIGHT,  LEFT 


Fig.  26 

1.  The  use  of  every  movement  exercise  must  be  given  to  the 
pupils,  and  they  should  state  how  it  will  help  them  to  prac- 
tice it.  For  this  slide  see  explanation  of  movement,  page  78. 
This  exercise  should  finally  be  made  at  a  speed  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  single  slides  per  minute. 


MOVEMENT  85 

a.  This  is  the  simplest  of  all  exercises.  It  should  first  be 
taught  by  asking  the  pupil  to  "  form  "  his  hand  ready  to  re- 
ceive the  pen.  Follow  the  instructions  given  under  "  Sum- 
mary of  penholding,"  on  pages  17  and  18,  as  far  as  4.  The 
pupil  should  not  hold  either  pen  or  pencil. 

&.  While  the  pupils  are  so  practicing  this  or  any  other 
exercise,  they  should  always  be  giv^n  a  piece  of  paper  to 
place  under  the  right  hand.  They  will  then  think  of  mom- 
ment  and  its  relation  to  the  paper,  whether  a  line  is  written 
or  whether  the  mechanics  for  it  are  practiced. 

Note.  A  mistake  is  often  made  in  not  so  supplying  paper. 
For  example,  when  first  Reaching  the  lateral  slide  exercise,  some 
teachers  allow  their  pupils  to  move  the  arm  from  the  left  to  the 
right  side  of  the  desk.  Thus,  in  the  first  place,  the  pupils  form  no 
intelligent  idea  of  the  use  of  such  movement,  and,  secondly,  they 
fall  into  either  a  careless  or  a  perfunctory  manner  of  executing 
the  movement. 

c.  Train  the  pupil  to  move  his  right  hand  entirely  across 
the  paper,  letting  the  hand  slide  on  the  third  and  fourth  finger- 
nail rest.    Be  sure  of  these  things : 

(1)  That  the  right  hand  is  upright. 

(2)  That  the  wrist  is  elevated. 

(3)  That  no  part  of  the  hand  touches  the  paper  excepting 
the  jinger  nails  mentioned  in  "  Summary  of  penholding." 

(4)  That  the  first  two  fingers  and  thumb  have  no  inde- 
pendent action. 

(5)  That  these  two  fingers  and  thumb  are  held  tip  from 
the  paper. 

It  is  not  beyond  the  power  of  the  average  child  to  do 
these  things. 

d.  Following  the  instruction  in  paragraph  a,  direct  the 
pupil  to  take  his  pen  or  pencil  and  invert  it.    Thus  holding 


86  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

it,  he  should  continue  the  lateral-slide  practice  called  for  in 
paragraph  c. 

e.  Next  direct  the  pupil  to  take  ink,  to  let  the  pen  point 
touch  the  paper,  and  to  continue  the  lateral  slide  as  above 
practiced,  and  the  line  will  be  recorded. 

Note.  It  will  be  noticed  that  the  above  instruction  calls  for  the 
same  movement  to  be  practiced  under  three  conditions :  first,  with 
the  hand  formed  ready  to  receive  the  pen  or  pencil ;  second,  with  an 
inverted  pen  or  pencil;  and  third,  with  the  purpose  of  recording  the 
line.  This  progressive  action  is  advised  for  two  reasons.  First,  move- 
ment is  the  important  thing  studied,  and  the  pupil  should  have  prac- 
tice in  this  alone,  that  he  may  understand  thoroughly  and  fasten  in 
his  mind  the  mechanics  of  the  exercise  ;  second,  if  from  the  begin- 
ning of  the  study  of  any  exercise  he  takes  ink  and  records  the  line, 
he  will  become  interested  in  ivhat  he  is  making  and  not  in  the  process 
by  which  it  is  made.  Hence  he  will  "carve  "  it  slowly  and  thus  de- 
feat the  freedom  of  execution  which  he  should  acquire. 

All  technical  exercises  should  be  practiced  according  to 
the  above  instructions  and  particularly  as  called  for  in  para- 
graph c,  page  85. 

2.  The  e  exercise.  The  reason  for  practicing  this  exercise 
is  to  demonstrate  the  fact  that  the  purpose  of  the  lateral  slide 
is  to  train  the  forearm  to  move  as  the  letters  are  formed. 


Fig.  27 

a.  The  next  exercise  taught,  therefore,  should  be  a  chain 
of  small  e's,  and  should  be  made  to  extend  across  the  page. 
This  is  very  easy  to  execute  because  it  requires  a  continuous 
movement  in  curves.  At  first  direct  the  pupil  to  make  six  let- 
ters in  a  chain,  thus  providing  for  open  spaces  between  them. 

b.  Ask  the  pupil  to  write  his  first  exercises  with  a  pencil. 
Unruled  manila  paper  may  be  used  for  such  work. 


MOVEMENT  87 

Note.  During  the  initial  execution  of  any  exercise  it  oftentimes 
proves  easier  to  obtain  the  desired  results  if  the  pupil  uses  a  pencil. 
Thus  he  will  learn  what  to  do  when  he  finally  takes  his  pen  and  white 
paper  for  such  work.    Make  sixteen  lines  of  e's  per  minute. 

G.  The  loops  of  the  e's  in  this  exercise  should  be  equidistant. 

Note.  Two  things  must  be  understood  by  the  teacher.  First, 
teaching  movement  and  giving  speed  tests  in  writing  are  very  different. 
During  the  first  practice  a  pupil  should  move  his  forearm  at  a  medium 
rate  of  speed.  There  is  a  difference  between  doing  this  and  slowly 
drawing  an  exercise.  It  is  only  after  the  medium  speed  is  acquired 
that  the  pupil  should  accelerate  this  motion.  Too  frequently  both 
teacher  and  pupil  work  under  a  misapprehension  that  a  high  rate  of 
speed  is  necessary  from  the  very  beginning  of  the  study  of  movement, 
—  a  mistake  sure  to  bring  disastrous  results. 

Second,  the  teacher  must  not  think  that  when  movement  is  first 
studied  it  will  be  better  to  devote  all  the  writing  lesson  to  that  and 
no  time  to  letter  formation.  This  idea  is  pure  fallacy.  From  the 
moment  it  is  attempted  the  pupil's  writing  will  constantly  deterio- 
rate. There  is  only  one  way  to  study  movement  properly,  and  that 
is  to  combine  it  with  the  study  of  the  script.  Thus  legibility  is 
maintained  and  facility  of  execution  is  attaiyied. 

3.  Connected  ellipses.  Elliptical  exercises  are  practiced  for 
three  reasons :  first,  because  they  help  one  gain  control  of 
the  forearm;  second,  because  many  capitals  and  some  of  the 


Fig.  28 

small  letters  are  made  from  the  ellipse ;  and  third,  because 
such  practice  helps  the  pupil  to  make  curves  at  the  tops  and 
bottoms  of  the  small  letters. 

The  next  technical  exercise  studied  should  be  connected 
ellipses.    Since  it  is  most  natural  for  the  hand  to  move  in 


88  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

curves,  this  exercise  will  be  but  little  more  difficult  for  a 
young  or  inexperienced  pupil  than  the  simple  chain  of  e's. 

a.  Direct  that  six  ellipses  be  joined  in  a  chain  across  the 
page.    Making  these  will  require  continuous  motion. 

h.  Instruct  the  pupil  to  make  these  entirely  of  light  lines. 
Allow  no  shading.    Close  ellipses  at  the  top. 

c.  These  ellipses  should  be  made  as  large  as  0  at  first, 
but  must  gradually  be  made  smaller  during  continued  prac- 
tice until  they  are  the  size  of  o. 

d.  Such  progressive  diminution  in  size  must  not  be  forced, 
but  should  naturally  follow  the  pupil's  proficiency  in  doing 


Fig.  29 

the  exercise.    This  will  depend  upon  the  degree  of  control  he 
has  of  the  forearm  movement. 

e.  The  teacher,  at  her  discretion,  may  direct  more  than  six 
ellipses  to  form  any  chain. 

Note.  In  teaching  movement  and  its  application,  the  importance 
of  a  light  touch  of  the  pen  upon  the  paper  must  not  be  underesti- 
mated. The  points  of  a  pen  are  never  to  be  used  as  a  plowshare. 
Special  practice  in  this  particular  must  he  airanged  for  the  pupil. 
Emphasize  it  in  this  exercise  and  later  in  cross-line  exercises.  See 
Fig.  29. 


MOVEMENT  89 

4.  Repeated  ellipses.  The  reason  for  practicing  this  exer- 
cise is  given  at  the  bottom  of  page  87.  When  teaching  it, 
follow  the  instructions  under  "  How  to  use  the  tracing  proc- 
ess," page  98,  in  connection  with  the  suggestions  here  given. 


Fig.  80 

a.  This  refers  to  forming  a  basal  figure  and  repeating  the 
movement,  thus  making  several  ellipses  to  cover  the  first  one 
made.  It  will  be  well  for  the  pupil  never  to  make  more  than 
twelve  revolutions  on  any  ellipse.  He  should  be  able  to  make 
these  without  depositing  too  much  ink  on  the  paper  or  scratch- 
ing its  surface.  Direct  the  pupil  to  make  eight  ellipses  to  be 
joined  in  a  chain  across  the  page.    See  Fig.  30. 

h.  To  count  for  this  exercise  the  teacher  should  read  the 
instructions  on  the  lower  half  of  page  124. 

c.  It  will  be  easier  to  do  this  exercise  first  with  pencil  and 
paper.  Make  the  ellipses  larger  (the  teacher's  judgment  should 
determine  the  size)  during  the  initial  practice.  As  greater 
control  of  the  forearm  is  gained,  the  figure  should  be  reduced 
in  size.  This  reduction  may  be  gradual  in  a  single  exercise 
as  it  is  made  across  the  page,  or,  as  successive  lessons  are 
given  on  the  repeated  ellipse,  each  set  of  eight  ellipses  may 
be  made  smaller  until  they  are  the  size  of  o. 

d.  Make  these  ellipses  separate  figures  at  first,  and  after- 
ward connect  them  as  in  the  illustration. 

e.  These  ellipses  should  be  made  in  two  directions :  first, 
the  pupil  should  begin  at  the  upper  left-hand  side  of  the 
figure  and  move  downward  ;  and  secondly.  Fig.  30  should  be 


90  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

inverted  and  this  motion  reversed  as  shown  in  Fig.  37.    See 
arrows  of  indication. 

5.   Continuous  ellipses.    The  reason  for  practicing  this  exer- 
cise is  given  at  the  bottom  of  page  87. 


Fig.  31 

This  exercise  should  also  be  inverted  and  made  with  a  reversed 
motion.  See  arrows  of  indication 

a.  This  is  the  most  difficult  of  the  elliptical  exercises,  but 
pupils  who  have  been  trained  according  to  the  foregoing  out- 
line of  technical  movement  will  have  little  trouble  in  per- 
forming it.  Perfection  of  execution  will  be  gained  through 
practice. 

h.  So  gradual  should  be  the  lateral  slide  across  the  page 
that  the  pupil  should  use  at  least  four  minutes  to  make  one 
line  of  this  exercise.  Hence,  at  a  speed  of  two  hundred  revo- 
lutions of  the  hand  per  minute  he  would  make  eight  hundred 
ellipses  on  each  line  of  practice. 

c.  During  first  practice  this  exercise  should  be  made  at  a 
speed  of  one  hundred  revolutions  of  the  hand  per  minute,  which 
should  be  gradually  increased  to  twice  this  speed.  The  teacher 
must  first  acquire  this  rate  in  her  own  practice  by  counting  as 
she  looks  at  her  watch.  It  is  only  after  such  experience  that 
she  will  be  able  to  count  correctly  to  assist  the  pupil. 

Note.  The  successful  making  of  any  elliptical  exercise  depends 
upon  the  perfect  elliptical  revolution  of  the  hand.  It  follows,  there- 
fore, that  it  will  be  exceedingly  helpful  if  the  pupil  carefully  prac- 
tices and  studies  such  a  movement  with  an  inverted  pen  or  pencil. 


91 


92  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

6.  Push-and-pull  exercise.    The  reason  for  its  use  is  stated 
in  the  second  paragraph  under  "  Application  of  movement," 
UP,  DOWN       page  97.    This  exercise  must  be  made  con- 
tinuously across  the  page. 

a.  This  refers  to  the  vibratory  action  of 
the  muscular  rest  of  the  arm.    This  funda- 
mental movement  is  described  on  page  82 
under  "  Studying  the  movements  of  the 
muscles."    It  is  important  because  it  trains  the  arm  to  move 
along  the  axis  line  of  the  script,  which  determines  the  slant 
in  writing. 

h.  The  teacher  must  assure  herself  that  the  pupil  has  a 
thorough  understanding  of  that  particular  motion. 

c.  The  pupil  must  execute  this  exercise  at  the  rate  of  one 
hundred  downstrokes  a  minute  at  first,  so  that  the  teacher 
can  see  he  is  working  out  the  required  details  of  the  move- 
ment. This  speed  should  finally  be  increased  to  two  hundred 
downstrokes  a  minute. 

d.  The  teach.er  should  be  sure  that  the  pupil  does  not 
pause  at  either  end  of  the  vibratory  motion.  Smoothness  of 
execution  is  of  absolute  importance  in  this  practice.  If  a 
pupil  stops  at  the  top  or  at  the  bottom  of  any  stroke  of  the 
pen,  he  will  do  so  at  the  tops  and  bottoms  of  his  letters,  thus 
many  times  making  angles  where  there  should  be  curves. 

Note.  The  direction  in  which  the  vibratory  motion  noted  in 
paragraph  a  is  made  is  of  inestimable  importance.  It  should  be 
parallel  to  the  right  or  left  side  of  the  desk,  which  would  make  it 
coincide  with  the  line  of  vision.  To  assist  the  pupil  to  acquire  this 
direction  place  the  ruler  as  is  illustrated  in  Fig.  12,  page  24.  Ask 
him  to  place  the  side  of  the  pen  or  pencil  point  against  the  right 
side  of  the  ruler  and  practice  the  push-and-puU  motion.  The  ruler 
will  guide  the  pen  along  the  line  of  vision.    By  way  of  application 


MOVEMENT  93 

alternate  such  work  by  having  him  practice  this  exercise  without  the 
aid  of  the  ruler. 

7.  Combined  motions.  The  pupil  has  so  far  been  trained 
in  three  specific  movements,  and,  to  some  extent,  in  a  com- 
bination of  them.  This  work  of  combining  these  separate 
movements  into  what  may  properly  be  called  the  "writing 
motion"  must  now  be  emphasized  by  practicing  exercises 
which  can  easily  be  developed  into  basal  letter  forms. 

The  particular  movements  above  noted  are : 

First,  the  lateral  slide  across  the  page  —  which  is  neces- 
sary for  facility  in  writing. 

Second,  the  elliptical  motion  —  by  which  the  curvature  of 
writing  is  formed,  as  well  as  many  of  the  capital  letters. 

Third,  the  push-and-pull  vibratory  movement  —  by  which 
the  up-and-down  strokes  of  the  letters  are  largely  formed. 

To  assist  in  shaping  certain  basal  letters  use  the  follow- 
ing plan: 

a.  Direct  the  pupil  to  make  the  elliptical  exercise  in 
Fig.  30,  page  89. 

b.  He  must  make  but  eight  revolutions  to  each  ellipse,  and 
these  with  a  light  touch  of  the  pen. 

c.  When  this  exercise  is  completed  the  pupil  may  move 
his  hand  back  to  the  left  side  of  the  paper  and  do  the  i 


Fig.  34 

exercise  to  combine  with  the  bottoms  of  these  ellipses  across 
the  page.    See  Fig.  34. 


94 


PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 


d.  Repeat  the  i  exercise  three  times,  covering  the  first 
one  made. 

8.  The  i  exercise,  a.  The  pupil  should  now  practice  the  i 
exercise  independently  of  the  ellipse.  He  should  make  the 
I's  in  the  repeated  fashion. 


Fig.  35 

h.  These  may  be  made  large  at  first  and  gradually  reduced, 
without  repeating,  to  the  final  size  of  one  third  the  space 
between  two  blue  lines  on  the  single-line  ruling  which  the 
pupil  is  using. 


Fig.  36 


c.  It  will  be  observed  that  this  is  the  basal  exercise  for 
Uy  w,  and  t.  These  may  be  made  in  chains  across  the  page, 
like  the  i's. 


Fig.  37 


9.  The  i  exercise  inverted,  a.  First  direct  the  pupil  to  make 
the  elliptical  exercise  in  Fig.  37.  He  should  make  but  eight 
revolutions  of  each  figure  with  a  light  touch  of  the  pen. 


MOVEMENT 


95 


h.  Ask  him  to  move  Ms  right  hand  back  to  the  left  side  of 
the  page  and  make  the  first  two  lines  of  n  combine  with  the 
tops  of  these  ellipses  across  the  paper.    See  Fig.  38. 


Fig.  38 


He  may  repeat  this  three  times,  covering  the  first  one 


made. 


See  Fig.  38. 


Fig.  :59 

d.  Following   this   he    should   do  exercises   in   Figs.  39 
and  40. 


Fig.  40 

10.  The  n  exercise.  The  pupil  may  now  practice  the  n, 
m,  or  any  other  letter  based  on  n  in  an  individual  letter 
exercise.  It  is  much  better,  however,  to  combine  such  sub- 
ject letters  into  words,  as  too  much  technical  practice  is  un- 
interesting to  the  pupil. 

The  above  outline  shows  three  progressively  graded  steps 
in  technical-movement  practice:  (1)  the  specific  movements 
themselves ;  (2)  their  combination  into  what  may  be  called 
the  "  writing  motion  " ;  (3)  the  technical  application  of  this 
"  motion  "  to  writing  individual  basal  letter  forms. 


96  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

The  pupil  should  now  go  on  with  the  "  tracing  process  "  as 
applied  to  letter  writing  on  page  99,  and  to  word  writing  on 
page  100. 

Note.  It  is  well  known  that  the  basal-movement  exercises  above 
referred  to  are  few  in  number.  A  pupil  will  sometimes  tire  of  mak- 
ing them,  notwithstanding  their  educational  value.  The  teacher  may 
wish,  therefore,  to  form  different  designs  from  these  single  exercises 
by  combining  any  two  or  three  of  them.  The  advantage  of  such 
combinations  is  that  frequently  the  pupil's  interest  in  movement- 
exercise  work  is  stimulated  by  having  a  new  conventional  figure 
to  practice,  although  the  same  end  is  sought,  —  control  of  the  fore- 
arm. If  the  teacher  carries  forward  this  kind  of  work,  as  a  reward 
for  special  excellence  in  it,  it  is  well  to  ask  the  pupils  to  make  origi- 
nal designs  and  fill  them  in  as  movement  exercises.  These  should 
be  preserved  as  specimens  of  their  work,  which,  of  course,  will  be 
pleasing  to  the  children. 


CHAPTER  IV 
APPLICATION  OF  MOVEMENT 

The  pupil  has  now  demonstrated  four  things:  first,  that 
the  muscle  of  the  right  forearm  is  identical  with  the  muscu- 
lar arm  rest ;  second,  that  he  can  make  this  muscle  extend 
and  contract ;  third,  that  such  a  vibratory  motion  will  cause 
his  right  hand  to  move  in  and  out  of  his  sleeve ;  and  fourth, 
he  has  developed  and  made  a  few  basal  letters,  using  this 
vibratory  motion  to  do  so. 

Next,  the  pupil  must  be  informed  that  he  is  required  to 
practice  this  movement  because,  so  far  as  he  can,  he  is  to 
make  every  upstroke  of  any  letter  with  the  outward  push 
of  his  arm  on  its  muscle,  instead  of  extending  his  lingers 
upward.  In  a  similar  manner,  so  far  as  he  can,  he  must 
make  every  downstroke  of  any  letter  by  a  slight  inward  pull 
of  this  muscle,  instead  of  using  a  downward  movement  of 
his  fingers. 

From  this  point  onward,  every  advanced  step  in  teaching 
must  deal  more  and  more  closely  with  applied  movement. 
Furthermore,  the  pupils  should  make  a  practical  application 
of  it  in  all  the  written  work  of  the  class  room.  The  script 
so  formed  will  look  crude  at  first,  but  as  greater  control  of 
the  forearm  is  gained  by  continued  application,  the  writing 
will  become  a  more  graceful  and  finished  product.  This  will 
be  the  final  result  of  an  automatic  reproduction  of  the  mental 
concept.  To  this  end  it  will  be  found  helpful  to  use  what 
may  be  termed  the  tracing  process. 

97 


'  98  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

How  to  use  the  tracing  process  to  explain  the  transmission 
of  motion 

1.  For  example,  have  each  pupil  draw  for  himself  on  prac- 
tice paper  several  ellipses.  These  should  be  at  least  three 
quarters  of  an  inch  high  and  one  half  an  inch  wide.  They 
should  be  on  a  line  at  least  one  third  the  way  down  from 
the  top  of  a  sheet  of  paper  of  letter  or  composition  size. 

2.  Ask  the  pupil  to  take  the  proper  writing  position  of 
body,  paper,  and  hand,  without  holding  pen  or  pencil. 

3.  Have  him  place  the  third  finger  nail  of  the  right  hand 
on  one  of  the  ellipses  previously  drawn,  and  trace  the  figure 
several  times  with  this  nail. 

4.  As  he  traces  the  figure  with  the  finger  nail  the  forearm 
rolls  on  its  muscular  rest.  There  is  also  a  slight  outward 
push  and  inward  pull  of  the  muscle  in  tracing  the  right  and 
left  sides  of  the  figure. 

5.  During  all  this  tracing  keep  the  first  and  second  fingers 
and  thumb  from  moving  independently  up  and  down.  They 
should  move  only  as  the  hand  carries  them. 

6.  See  that  the  pupil  concentrates  his  study  on  the  process 
of  tracing.  Have  him  continue  such  work  until  he  thoroughly 
understands  the  mechanics  of  this  motion. 

7.  To  make  full  application  of  the  foregoing  instruction, 
ask  the  pupil  to  continue  the  proper  writing  position,  holding 
a  pencil  and  letting  the  point  of  it  touch  the  paper.  Be  sure 
that  he  follows  the  instruction  given  in  paragraphs  3,  4,  and  5 
of  this  section.  At  first  do  not  let  him  look  at  the  figure 
which  the  pencil  is  recording,  but  see  that  he  gives  strict 
attention  to  the  elliptical  formative  movement.  As  this  is, 
so  the  shape  of  the  figure  must  be.    Thus  he  will  see  that 


APPLICATION  OF  MOVEMENT  99 

because  there  was  no  independent  finger  action,  the  vibratory 
muscular  motion  was  transmitted  to  the  point  of  the  pencil, 
which,  guided  by  the  third  finger  as  it  traced  the  ellipse, 
caused  the  elliptical  form  to  be  recorded. 

Note.  In  the  development  of  this  instruction  great  emphasis 
must  be  laid  on  the  thoroughness  of  both  teaching  and  practice.  On 
these  will  depend  successful  results  of  applied  movement.  In  all 
such  work  (1)  the  pupil  must  have  a  very  definite  mental  concept 
of  the  form  he  is  asked  to  make  or  write  ;  (2)  he  must  understand 
fully  the  mechanics  of  motion  necessary  to  shape  this  form,  —  a  mat- 
ter which  can  best  be  learned  by  the  tracing  process  just  described  ; 
(3)  he  must  apply  these  mechanics  of  motion  in  making  the  desired 
form  ;  and  (4)  he  must  practice  the  movement  necessary  to  write 
that  particular  form  until  the  process  becomes  automatic.  When  the 
pupil  has  accomplished  these  things  he  will  write  easily  and  rapidly. 

At  first  these  successive  steps  must  be  developed  slowly, 
in  every  new  letter  which  the  pupil  studies.  Do  not  think 
of  teaching  several  new  letters  or  words  during  any  one 
writing  lesson,  but  devote  several  lessons  to  each.  The  time 
will  come  when  the  pupil  will  be  able  to  advance  more  rap- 
idly, when  it  will  not  be  necessary  to  spend  so  much  time  to 
learn  how  to  write  (not  "carve")  a  single  mental  concept 
on  paper.  The  principle  of  making  haste  slowly  is  the  only 
one  by  which  to  be  safely  guided. 

Tracing  process  applied  to  letter  writing.  In  a  similar 
manner  have  the  pupils  make  an  n. 

1.  Ask  the  pupil  to  make  on  paper  several  n's.  These 
should  be  at  least  half  an  inch  high,  and  should  be  written 
separately  on  a  line  at  least  one  third  of  the  way  down  from 
the  top  of  a  sheet  of  paper  of  letter  or  composition  size. 

2.  The  pupil  should  take  the  proper  writing  position  of 
body,  paper,  and  hand,  but  must  not  take  pen  or  pencil. 


100  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

3.  Ask  the  pupil  to  trace  every  line  of  an  n  with  the  third 
finger  nail.  He  must  keep  the  first  two  fingers  free  from  any 
independent  up-and-down  action.  Every  upward  motion  (and 
line  of  letter)  must  be  made  by  pushing  slightly  on  the  fore- 
arm muscular  rest.  Every  downward  motion  (and  line  of 
letter)  must  be  made  by  a  slight  reverse  movement  of  this 
muscle. 

4.  When  he  understands  thoroughly  the  mechanics  of 
motion  necessary  to  write  an  n,  let  him  hold  his  pencil  or 
pen  and  allow  the  point  to  touch  the  paper.  Ask  him  to 
follow  the  instructions  given  in  paragraphs  1,  2,  and  3  above, 
without  looking  at  what  is  being  recorded.  When  he  stops 
this  practice  he  will  find  that  because  there  was  no  independ- 
ent finger  action  the  vibratory  muscular  motion  was  trans- 
mitted to  the  point  of  his  pen  or  pencil,  wliich,  guided  by 
the  third  finger  as  it  traced  the  %,  caused  the  same  letter  to 
be  recorded  or  written. 

5.  The  pupil  should  practice  the  foregoing  exercise  until 
he  can  make  the  n  automatically. 

Assist  the  pupil  to  develop  other  letters,  first  teaching  the 
individual  movement  necessary  to  write  each  one.  Name  each 
movement  for  the  letter  it  writes.    See  page  79,  paragraph  4. 

The  tracing  process  applied  to  word  writing.  1.  Help  the 
pupil  write  a  word.  Ask  him  to  write  "  see  "  several  times 
on  his  practice  paper,  making  the  letters  half  an  inch  high 
and  on  a  line  about  one  third  the  way  down  from  the  top  of 
a  sheet  of  paper  of  letter  or  composition  size. 

2.  Ask  him  to  take  the  proper  writing  position  of  body, 
paper,  and  hand,  but  not  to  take  either  pen  or  pencil. 

3.  Have  him  trace  the  word  "  see  "  with  the  third  finger 
nail,  observing  that  every  up-and-down  stroke  of  the  letters 


APPLICATION  OF  MOVEMENT"        '  101 

is  made  by  the  vibratory  motion  of  the  muscle  at  the  hr^' 
arm  rest.    The  fingers  must  not  move  to  shape  the  letters. 
Notice  that  the  arm  slides  slightly  along  the  desk  toward 
the  right,  to  keep  pace  with  the  continuous  formation  of  the 
letters. 

4.  When  he  understands  the  mechanics  of  motion  neces- 
sary to  write  "  see,"  ask  him  to  hold  his  pen  or  pencil  and 
let  the  point  touch  the  paper.  Let  him  continue  the  tracing 
process  asked  for  in  paragraph  3  above.  When  he  stops  this 
practice  he  will  find  that  because  there  was  no  independent 
finger  action  the  vibratory  muscular  motion  was  transmitted 
to  the  point  of  his  pen  or  pencil,  which,  guided  by  the  third 
finger  as  it  traced  the  word  "  see,"  caused  that  same  word  to 
be  recorded  or  written. 

5.  The  pupil  must  continue  the  practice  until  he  can  write 
"  see "  automatically.  Then  let  him  practice  other  words  in 
the  same  manner.  Name  each  movement  for  the  word  it 
writes.    See  page  80,  paragraph  5. 

The   tracing  process    applied    to    writing  capital  letter's. 

1.  The  pupil  should  now  study  a  capital,  first  using  the 
tracing  process  until  he  fully  understands  the  mechanics  of 
movement  necessary  to  write  any  particular  capital  letter 
and  can  make  it  accordingly.  Such  practice  should  be  con- 
tinued until  he  can  reproduce  that  mental  concept  auto- 
matically on  paper. 

2.'  In  grades  where  applied  movement  is  studied,  any  new 
small  letter,  word,  or  capital  given  as  a  lesson  in  the  copy 
book  should  be  practiced  according  to  the  "  tracing  process." 
The  pupil  should  name  each  movement  for  the  form  which 
it  writes.  This  assists  him  to  use  applied  movement  in  his 
copy  book. 


102  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

How  to  help  the  pupil  always  to  use  applied  movement 
in  writing 

During  the  first  work  of  teaching  applied  movement  it  is 
occasionally  noticed  that  pupils  will  use  such  motion  during 
the  writing  lesson  but  do  not  use  it  in  all  the  written  work 
of  the  class  room.  This  difficulty  and  its  remedy  will  be  con- 
sidered carefully  on  later  pages  of  this  book.  For  immediate 
purposes  the  following  suggestions  will  be  found  helpful. 

Alternating  a  technical  exercise  with  written  work.  1.  At 
the  left  side  of  the  paper  the  pupil  should  begin  the  usual 
push-and-pull  exercise,  making  it  for  a  little  distance  along 
the  line  to  the  right. 

Without  lifting  the  pen  or  pencil  he  should  connect  with 
a  chain  of  small  n's,  or  with  any  other  individual  letter  which 
the  teacher  wishes  him  to  practice.  After  making  these 
for  a  httle  distance  he  should  merge  into  the  push-and-pull 
exercise,  and  then  make  the  letters  again.  Alternation  of  ex- 
ercise and  letter  should  be  practiced  across  several  lines  of 
the  practice  paper,  the  pupil  keeping  his  pen  on  the  paper 
during  the  writing  of  each  entire  line.  This  trains  him  in 
continuous  movement.    See  Fig.  41. 

Fig.  41 

Note.  The  object  of  the  above  work  is  to  generate  t\iQ  power  of 
writing  by  practicing  a  technical  exercise.  This  power  is  immedi- 
ately used  in  making  the  n's.  Before  the  pupil  has  time  to  lag  in 
this  application  of  motion,  he  is  making  a  new  technical  exercise, 
thus  generating  more  power.  This  he  applies  to  letter  writing,  and 
so  the  process  continues. .  It  will  be  seen  that  he  is  constantly  generat- 
ing a  supply  of  "  writing  power  "  equal  to  the  demand  of  application. 


APPLICATION  OF  MOVEMENT 


103 


2.  In  a  similar  manner  alternate  an  exercise  with  word 
writing.    See  Fig.  42. 


Fig.  42 

3.  Assist  the  pupil  to  practice  sentence  writing  in  the 
same  fashion. 

4.  Vary  this  by  connecting  several  sentences  written  down 
the  page.    See  Fig.  43. 

/A 


Fig.  43 

Application  of  spacing  plan  across  the  entire  width  of  the  paper 
for  words  of  two  letters 

This  is  a  thoroughly  practical  scheme,  which  can  be  adapted 
to  a  wide  range  of  appHcations.  It  is  so  simple  that  it  can 
be  introduced  in  any  grade  where  applied  movement  is  taught. 

1.  Train  the  pupils  in  the  lateral-movement  exercise  across 
the  entire  width  of  the  paper.    See  Fig.  26,  page  84. 

2.  W^hen  all  the  children  can  do  that,  ask  them  to  modify 
the  exercise  by  making  one  downstroke  in  the  middle  of  the 


Fig.  44 

paper.    In  this  way  they  will  form  one  i  while  the  hand 
moves  across  the  page.    See  Fig.  44. 

3.  Then  ask  the  class  to  make  two  -i's  as  the  hand  moves 
across  the  paper.    The  two  downstrokes  of  these  letters  should 


104 


PUBLIC   SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 


trisect  its  entire  width.  It  may  be  helpful  at  first  for  the 
pupil  to  place  two  trisecting  dots  on  the  line  above  that  on 
which  he  is  to  write,  showing  where  the  downstrokes  of  the 
*'s  are  to  be  made. 

4.  When  all  can  do  this  work,  ask  them  to  substitute  an 
n  for  the  second  of  the  i's  called  for  in  paragraph  3.  Thus 
will  they  write  the  word  "  in,"  placing  the  i  under  the  first  i 
of  the  exercise  and  the  n  under  the  second  i.  The  word  will 
be  written  across  the  paper  while  moving  the  hand,  as  in 
the  two-letter  i  exercise;  hence  movement  is  applied  to 
word  writing.    See  Fig.  45. 


Fig.  45 


Arrange  for  the  pupil  to  write  other  words  of  two  letters 
according  to  the  plan  outlined  in  paragraph  4.  For  example, 
change  the  i  of  the  word  "  in  "  to  an  o,  writing  "  on."  Then 
reverse  these  letters  and  write  "  no."    See  Fig.  46. 


Fig.  46 

5.  When  the  pupil's  eye  is  adjusted  and  his  hand  trained 
to  write  a  two-letter  word  across  the  paper,  ask  him  to  turn 
the  paper  to  the  clean  side  and  place  it  in  the  writing 
position.  Do  not  allow  liim  to  make  the  two  i's  trisect  the 
line.  Ask  him  to  write  the  words  called  for  in  paragraphs 
3  and  4  from  his  thought  of  those  spacing-off  letters  and 


APPLICATION  OF  MOVEMENT  105 

the  automatic  word  movement  which  his  hand  has  acquired 
from  their  use. 

NoTK  1.  During  the  first  work  of  applied  movement  use  words 
containing  only  unit  letters,  after  which  use  the  loops  and  capitals. 

Note  2.  The  question  may  be  asked,."  Why  write  a  word  of  but 
two  letters?  "  It  has  been  demonstrated  that  when  the  pupil  begins 
the  work  of  applied  movement,  it  is  necessary  to  write  a  word  hav- 
ing few  letters,  and  those  openly  spaced.  Just  as  soon,  however,  as  he 
understands  the  requirements  of  this  work  and  can  write  a  word  of 
two  letters  as  called  for  above,  he  must  be  trained  to  write  longer 
words,  the  letters  of  which  are  more  closely  spaced.  To  make  such 
work  gradually  progressive,  one  letter  at  a  time  is  added  to  each  new 
exercise,  which  is  written  across  the  entire  width  of  the  paper.  This 
process  will  now  be  developed. 

Application  of  the  spacing  plan  across  the  entire  width  of  the  paper 
for  words  of  three  letters 

1.  Ask  the  pupil  to  equally  divide  a  line  of  the  paper  by 
placing  three  dots  at  necessary  intervals.  Under  these  dots 
write  an  exercise  of  three  ^'s  or  e's  across  the  paper.  Be 
sure  that  every  child  makes  his  first,  second,  and  third  letters 
in  regular  order  under  the  corresponding  dot.  Make  each 
letter  no  larger  than  ordinary  writing.  Practice  until  this 
can  be  done  correctly  and  rapidly,  even  should  it  require 
several  writing  lessons  to  accomplish  these  results. 

2.  Under  such  an  exercise  ask  the  pupil  to  write  some 
word  of  three  unit  letters;  for  example,  the  word  "ice." 
Place  the  first  letter  of  the  word  under  the  first  letter  of  the 
exercise,  the  second  and  third  under  corresponding  exercise 
letters.    See  Fig.  47. 

Note  1.  While  studying  applied  movement  by  the  spacing  plan, 
it  may  be  found  helpful  to  begin  by  developing  the  word  according  to 
the  tracing  process.  For  example,  this  word  "  ice  "may  first  be  studied 


106 


PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 


according  to  the  instruction  given  for  the  word  "see  "  on  page  100. 
In  this  case  the  letters  of  "  ice  "  should  be  at  least  one  half  an  inch 
high  and  placed  under  those  of  the  exercise  given  in  paragraph  1, 


==£. 


Fig.  47 

page  105.  Now  let  the  pupil  trace.  After  that,  develop  immediately 
the  instructions  for  writing  "ice "  given  in  paragraphs  1  and  2  above. 
Note  2.  In  all  the  applied-movement  practice  remind  the  pupil 
continually  that  legibility  must  be  maintained  as  facility  of  execu- 
tion increases.  Keep  the  standard  high.  Kapidity  in  writing,  with- 
out legibility,  is  mere  scribbling.  Neither  can  be  sacrificed  at  the 
expense  of  the  other.  A  well-balanced  penmanship  demands  equal 
proficiency  in  each  of  these  essentials. 

3.  Continue  tliis  plan,  using  words  in  consecutive  order 
which  contain  four,  five,  six,  seven,  and  eight  unit  letters, 
according    to    the    grade    in    which    the    plan    is    taught. 


Fig.  48 


^^    .^>i  ^^^inn^^^nm    ^    ^^ 


Fkj.  50 


APPLICATION  OF  MOVEMENT  lOY 

*     ^    ^    ^  ^^'  ^^  ^^ 


^     ^  ^-r  ^^  ^ 


Fig.  51 
^   ^ ^'    ^  ^   ^  ^ 


Fig.  52 

Each  word  must  be  written  across  the  entire  width  of  the 
paper.    Keep  the  following  directions  constantly  in  mind. 

Five  directions  for  teaching  applied  movement 

1.  Be  sure  that  the  pupil  has  the  correct  mental  concept 
of  the  word  to  be  written. 

2.  Be  sure  that  he  understands  the  mechanics  of  move- 
ment required  to  write  that  particular  concept. 

3.  Be  sure  that  he  practices  these  mechanics  of  movement 
until  they  become  automatic. 

4.  Be  sure  that  every  word  is  first  written  on  one  side  of  the 
paper  under  a  spacing-off  exercise  of  an  equal  number  of  i's 
or  e's.  After  this,  from  his  thought  of  such  an  exercise,  have 
the  pupil  write  the  same  word  on  the  clean  side  of  the  paper. 

5.  Be  sure  that  the  pupil  is  equally  proficient  in  legibility 
and  in  rapidity  of  execution. 

The  spacing  plan  for  word  writing  across  one  half 
the  width  of  paper 

When  the  pupil  is  able  to  write  words  from  two  to  eight 
letters  in  length  across  his  paper,  according  to  the  pro- 
gressive plan  outlined  above,  the  same   scheme  should  be 


108 


PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 


developed  across  one  half  the  width  of  the  page.   Ask  him 
to  bisect  his  paper  by  drawing  one  line  down  its  entire  length. 


.^=:^2 ^rri. 


=-^ 


^^,-^77 


^^.^^  ^^  ^^  ^-^ 


^^ 


-=-1 


^^^W^^f^^.^^,.^. 


^^^^^^.^^r^.^^ — 71 


^^  ^^  ^^  -^  ^^  ^^  ^ 


^  -^.-^r  .^  ^'.^^-—e , 


^^^yf^^^^^ 


^^     ^     .^         ^    ^      ^r^O-^ 


Fig.  53 


Then  train  him  to  move  his  hand  in  a  lateral-slide  exercise 
across  one  half  of  his  paper.    Next  have  him  make  one  i 


APPLICATION  OF  MOVEMENT 


109 


while  he  moves  his  hand,  then  two  ^'s  and  a  word  of  two 
letters,  then  three  *'s  and  words  of  three  letters,  and  so  on 


V ^ 

^'  ^^\^^ 

^'.^-^n  ^^ 

^'  ^'  ^  ^ 

t 

^"^-r^^^.^ 

^  ^  ^  ^  ^ 

.^yi  ^'..^n  jp^ 

^'  yi  ^'  ^'  ^'^ 

yi  yi'y^^~ey}^ 

J^'yiJyi^^ 

/Cya/yi/n/m^ 

^'^'jj'jyiJ^ 

AJX-jJyn/^y 

j^'JJJjJjy 

^^AAj^AAxYfy 

Fig.  54 


until  eight  ^'s  and  words  of  that  length  (according  to  the 
grade  being  taught)  are  written  across  one  half  the  paper. 


110  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

The  reason  for  doing  this  work  in  that  width  is  that  it  assists 
the  child  to  lessen  gradually  the  spacing  between  letters  as 
he  continues  to  apply  movement  to  word  writing. 

The  spacing  plan  for  word  writing  across  one  quarter 
the  width  of  paper 

To  lessen  still  further  the  space  between  any  two  letters 
of  a  word,  ask  the  pupil  to  draw  on  his  paper  three  down- 
ward lines,  which  will  divide  it  into  four  equal  parts.  In 
one  of  these  sections  so  made  train  him  to  the  lateral  slide 
across  that  space ;  then  have  him  make  one  i  in  it,  then  two 
i's  and  words  of  two  letters,  then  three  i's  and  words  of  three 
letters.  Continue  until  a  column  of  that  width  has  been 
spaced  successively  with  four,  five,  six,  seven,  and  eight  let- 
ters, and  with  words  of  equal  length.  As  to  how  many 
letters  a  word  shall  contain,  the  teacher  must  be  governed 
by  the  grade  of  school  in  which  the  plan  is  used.    See  Fig.  54. 

Deficient  pupils  should  first  practice  applied  movement 
on  the  board 

Note.  If  it  is  difficult  for  any  pupil  to  understand  applied  move- 
ment, it  will  be  exceedingly  helpful  to  mark  off  a  space  on  the  black- 
board to  represent  a  sheet  of  paper.  In  this  space  the  pupil  should 
develop  every  step  of  the  spacing  plan  before  he  attempts  such  work 
on  his  paper.  The  lateral  sweep  which  he  uses  at  the  board  assists 
him  to  gain  greater  freedom  when  he  writes  at  his  desk. 

The  spacing  plan  applied  to  movement  in  sentence  writing 

The  pupil  is  now  ready  to  apply  movement  to  sentence 
writing.    To  assist  in  this  process  use    the  spacing  plan. 

1.  Ask  the  pupil  to  divide  his  paper  into  three  equal  parts 
by  drawing  two  lines  connecting  trisecting  dots  at  the  top 
and  the  bottom  of  the  page.    See  Fig.  55. 


APPLICATION  OF  MOVEMENT 


111 


2.  Begin  with  sentences  of  three  words,  each  word  con- 
taining two  letters.    To  facilitate  the  application  of  movement, 


^^ =-:£. 


=^^:^ ==^:£_ 


=^ 


^^  ^^  -^ 


^^ 


^^^^  ^^ 


JL 


J. ^ 


.^--r>--r// 


^  ,^ 


^^  ^-f  ^^  ^ 


^^.^^^^^. 


,=^2L 


..^^.^^m  ^. 


.^o-ryi  ^^^. 


^.^.^^^. 


^^^^^^^-1. 


^  ^  ^  ^  ^. 


^^^^y}  ^. 


^^ 


^^^yi  ^. 


^--^^ 


^^  ^  ^  ^  ^ 


^  ^^  ^  ^  ^ . 


^  ^^  ^  ^^ 


^^j/m/m  J?  Ji 


Jm^\ 


^yTl. 


'^^^  ^yi^^-r^yiym 


JlJ/^. 


^  ^  ^  ^  ^^ 


£. 


j^^^yn/^^ 


^^'ynyCjpJij^^ 


yi  ^  ^yflJ'yrJ'^ 


CJlJj!^A  jP/T}/  ^j^AyCAyJyfj^ 


fJ^y 


^yJyCytyfAA^Ay. 


Fig.  55 


have  him  space  off  each  column  with  two  ^''s  or  ^'s,  so 
placing  these  that  in  each  instance  they  will  divide  the 
column  into  equal  parts. 


112  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

3.  Develop  the  sentence,  "  So  do  we."  Under  the  first  i  in 
the  first  column  have  the  pupil  write  the  S\  and  under  the 
second,  o.  Under  the  first  i  in  the  second  column  have  him 
write  d\  and  under  the  second,  o.  Under  the  first  i  in  the 
third  column  have  him  write  w\  and  under  the  second,  e. 
Thus  the  pupil  will  write  a  sentence  of  six  letters  across  the 
paper,  but  the  spacing  will  be  very  open. 

4.  Continue  this  practice  until  the  mechanics  of  motion 
required  to  write  this  sentence  becomes  automatic.  Mamtain 
legibility  as  rapidity  increases. 

Note.  When  the  pupil's  eye  is  adjusted  and  his  hand  trained  to 
write  a  sentence  as  above,  ask  him  to  turn  his  paper  to  the  clean 
side  and  place  it  in  the  writing  position.  Do  not  allow  him  either  to 
trisect  it  or  to  write  the  six  spacing-off  letters.  Ask  him,  however, 
to  write  the  same  sentence,  from  his  thought  of  the  mechanical 
process,  on  the  first  side  of  his  paper,  and  with  the  automatic  move- 
ment he  acquired  from  its  use. 

Sentences  of  three  words,  each  containing  three  letters 

5.  Ask  the  pupil  to  trisect  his  paper  as  described  m  para- 
graph 1.  After  this  let  him  space  off  each  column  evenly 
with  three  *'s.  Have  him  develop  the  sentence,  "  See  our 
cow,"  by  writing  one  word  in  each  column  across  the  page 
and  by  placing  the  first,  second,  and  third  letters  of  the  word 
under  the  corresponding  letters  of  the  exercise.  Thus  he 
will  write  across  the  page  a  sentence  of  nine  letters,  which 
will  be  more  closely  spaced  than  the  sentence  of  six  letters 
which  he  wrote  under  paragraph  3. 

6.  When  this  is  done  according  to  the  instruction  given 
in  paragraph  4,  use  in  this  connection  the  suggestion  given 
in  the  note  under  that  paragraph. 


APPLICATION  OF  MOVEMENT  113 

7.  Then  have  the  pupil  write  sentences  containing  three 
words  in  three  columns  on  the  paper,  each  word  progressively 
containing  four,  five,  six,  seven,  and  eight  letters.  In  so  doing 
he  will  write  twelve,  fifteen,  eighteen,  twenty-one,  up  to  twenty- 
four  letters  across  the  page.  It  will  be  seen  that  as  the  number 
of  letters  increases,  the  spacing  between  any  two  of  them  de- 
creases. Thus  the  pupil's  hand  becomes  adjusted  to  the  usual 
spacing  of  script,  and  he  maintains  apphed  movement  as  he 
writes.    See  Fig.  55. 

8.  Eead  again  the  five  important  directions  given  on 
pages  85  and  107,  and  apply  them  to  sentence  writing. 

Applied-movement  sentence  writing  without  mechanical  aid 

Note.  It  may  safely  be  assumed  that  the  pupil's  eye  is  adjusted 
and  his  hand  trained  to  write  a  sentence  containing  a  certain  number 
of  letters.  On  the  dean  side  of  his  paper  have  him  write  sentences  of 
an  equal  number  of  letters.  This  should  be  done  without  the  mechani- 
cal aids  of  the  three  columns  or  the  spacing  i  or  e  exercise.  For  ex- 
ample, perhaps  the  sentence  "  Haste  makes  waste  "  has  been  developed 
according  to  the  instruction  in  paragraph  5,  page  112,  modified  to 
space  with  five  letters  instead  of  three.  Then  ask  the  pupil  to  turn 
to  the  second  side  of  his  j)aper  and  write  this  sentence  from  the  auto- 
matic motion  gained  from  his  practice  on  the  first  side  of  the  paper. 
Follow  this  immediately  with  other  sentences  of  equal  length  ;  as, 


A^  ^.^^^.'-mx?^  ^  ^^  ^jz-r:^  ^^  ^^. 


Ijfy^  ^' ^ ^^  ^^  jp  ^  ^^^jz-n-^^^A. 


7l  y^^-p  yi  ^  ^jrr:^  ^J'^^y^mxy^  j?^^. 


Fig.  56 


114  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

Such  should  be  the  final  step  in  applied  movement  sentence  writing, 
regardless  of  how  many  letters  the  copy  may  contain.  For  this  pur- 
pose the  teacher  must  have  at  her  command  several  other  sentences 
equal  in  length  to  the  one  taught  and  developed. 


The  spacing  plan  applied  to  movement  in  writing  sentences 
containing  words  of  unequal  length 

It  is  possible  that  some  person  may  say  that  the  pupil 
would  rarely  have  to  write  sentences  which  are  constructed 
of  three  words,  each  having  an  equal  number  of  letters.  This 
is  true,  but  the  fact  remains  that  if  the  pupil's  hand  can  be 
trained  to  write,  as  above,  a  sentence  of  fifteen  letters,  it  will 
be  but  a  slight  step  in  advance  to  train  him  to  write  as  many 
other  letters  across  the  page  in  words  of  unequal  length. 
The  important  things  are,  first,  he  can  easily  move  his  hand 
along  one  line  of  his  paper ;  and  second,  he  can  write  fifteen 
letters  as  he  does  so. 


Application  of  the  spacing  plan  to  the  written  work 
of  the  school 

1.  Geography.  Many  teachers  believe  that  it  is  almost  im- 
possible for  pupils  to  use  applied  movement  when  writing 
the  various  papers  of  the  class  room.  The  same  pupils  who 
gain  excellent  results  in  the  technical-movement  practice  of 
the  writing  lesson  afterward  lapse  into  a  cramped-finger  mo- 
tion. There  is  no  good  reason  why  this  should  be  so.  For 
example,  if  a  pupil  can  write  —  not  "  carve  "  —  a  continuous 
chain  of  twelve  small  e's  across  one  line  of  paper  in  a  tech- 
nical exercise,  it  is  but  a  little  step  in  advance  for  him  to 
write  twelve  different  letters  under  the  same  movement  con- 
dition.   Thus  he  might  write  the  word  "  Pennsylvania."  The 


APPLICATION  OF  MOVEMENT  115 

e's  would  be  slightly  easier  to  make  because  of  a  simpler 
rhythmic  motion,  since  the  same  letter  is  repeated ;  yet  the 
essential  movement  required  in  writing  both  exercise  and 
word  is  the  same.  In  demonstrating  this  to  the  pupils,  first 
make  it  clear  to  them  by  explanation,  and  secondly,  lead 
them  to  prove  it  by  their  own  work. 

a.  For  example,  ask  them  to  make  a  chain  of  twelve  e's, 
equidistant,  across  one  line  of  paper.    Under  these,  letter  for 


^     ^     ^    ^    ^  ^J>     ^     ^    ^ ■^_^. 


^ 


^^^^,-^n  ^^j — -f.r^/ — -g  ^^^n  ^^  ^^<^^ 


P^  ^'  ^^-^^  ^r/  ^  ^  ^yh  ^  ^'^^ 


7n^  ^  ^^^  v^ 


?y/  jp    ^   ^^mn  ^^ry-^ ^  ^.^-g  .^^n^. 


1/J'^  ^ ^ ^^' .^^  .^nnn  ^  ^.^O — A  ^^ 


Fig.  57 

letter,  ask  them  to  write  "  Pennsylvania,"  using  the  same 
gliding  motion  that  they  used  in  the  exercise.  On  the  next 
line  have  them  write  the  e  exercise,  and  underneath  that  the 
word.  See  plan  of  alternating  exercise  and  word  writing  on 
page  102;  also  page  103,  paragraph  2.    See  also  Fig.  57. 

h.  After  the  pupil's  eye  is  adjusted  and  his  hand  trained 
to  the  above  spacing  and  word,  give  him  practice  immediately 
in  writing  other  geographical  words  of  twelve  letters. 


116 


PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 


c.  Next  ask  him  to  write  all  these  words  on  the  clean  side 
of  his  paper,  without  first  spacing  with  the  e  exercise.  He 
should,  however,  write  one  word  to  a  line,  having  the  same 
space  between  any  two  letters  of  each  word  that  he  had  on 
the  first  side  of  the  paper. 

Lessening  the  lateral  spacing  of  these  words 

a.  Direct  the  pupil  to  space  off  07ie  half  or  one  third  of 
the  width  of  the  paper  (as  the  teacher  may  wish)  with  twelve 


J?JPJ?JP^J>JJ>J>J>J>  Jpj 

f{^/)n/>nyi^yfj^yi/-a/)nyf'^ay 

/ 

/^j>y}0/}nyi0yL/^/r2/yiyi'.i^y 

J^jJ^ydj'J^yhJi^'.^y 

7nyf:^/i^x2J^J^Jxyi/ry}y 

UJ'jp^J'ymxy}  jpJli^ynnx/y 

IJUjJjyaymyJixy}  J'^ 

Fig.  58 


g's.  Under  these  ask  him  to  write  "  Pennsylvania."  This  is 
for  the  purpose  of  lessening  the  distance  between  the  letters, 
making  it  more  like  the  usual  spacing  of  the  word. 

h.  See  that  the  pupil  maintains  good  legibility  and  move- 
ment.   See  second  note  on  page  87,  also  note  on  page  106. 

c.  For  application,  ask  the  pupil  to  turn  to  the  clean 
side  of  his  paper,  and,  without  the  aid  of  the  spacing-letter 


APPLICATION  OF  MOVEMENT  117 

exercise,  to  write  the  word  in  one  half  or  one  third  of  the 
width  of  the  paper. 

d.  At  first  this  work  should  be  done  during  the  writing 
lesson.  When  such  instruction  is  given,  select  for  practice 
words  the  names  of  cities,  counties,  states,  rivers,  lakes,  and 
mountains.  Use  any  topic  word  connected  with  the  present 
study  of  geography.  First  let  the  pupil  space  for  it  with  an 
equal  number  of  letters,  following  the  suggestions  given  above ; 
afterward  have  him  write  it  for  application  without  the  aid 
of  any  mechanical  exercise. 

e.  Next  weave  these  words  into  sentences,  and  let  the 
pupil  practice  them  under  the  applied-movement  plan  during 
the  writing  hour. 

The  result  will  be  that  when  he  comes  to  write  a  paper  on 
geography  the  text  will  be  of  similar  character  and  the  pen- 
manship the  same  as  that  which  he  has  practiced  during  the 
writing  lesson.  If  he  can  do  it  in  one  instance,  he  can  in  the 
other.  Why  not  ?  Continued  practice  of  this  character  will 
soon  become  an  automatic  process. 

2.  History.  In  a  similar  manner  give  practice  in  historical 
copies.  To  give  interest  to  this  work,  select  topics  about 
which  the  class  is  at  present  studying.  For  example,  make 
short  sentences  about  the  abolition  of  slavery,  as,  "Slavery 
was  abolished  in  1865."  This  sentence  is  composed  of 
twenty-five  letters  and  figures,  and  the  period.  There  are 
also  four  open  spaces  between  the  words.  Conduct  the 
practice  in  writing  this  sentence  according  to  the  follow- 
ing plan: 

a.  Ask  the  pupil  to  trisect  his  paper  as  in  paragraph  1, 
page  110. 

h.  Ask  him  to  write  ten  t's  or  e's  across  each  column. 


118  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

c.  Under  the  first  seven  of  these,  letter  for  letter,  have 
him  write  the  word  "  Slavery."  Skip  the  eighth  letter,  thus 
leaving  an  open  space  between  the  first  and  second  words. 
Under  the  next  three  letters  write  "was."  Skip  the  next, 
which  is  the  twelfth  letter,  for  the  space  between  the  second 
and  third  words.  Under  the  next  nine  letters  write  the  word 
"  abolished."  Skip  the  twenty-second  letter  for  the  space  be- 
tween the  third  and  fourth  words.  Under  the  next  two  let- 
ters write  the  word  "  in."  Skip  the  twenty-fifth  letter  for  the 
space  between  the  fourth  word  and  the  date.  Under  the  next 
four  letters  write  the  figures  "1865."  Under  the  last  i  or  e 
make  the  period.    See  Fig.  59. 


J^^yl^JJyfJj, 


lA^A^A^d^A^yLyUUL 


Ld^A^^A^A^yLAJy 


JJya/}H>A/i4^^yirry:A//aJm-fy!yiJijp.^yj/)ny  /  }r  /n.^ 


Fig.  59 

d.  After  the  pupil's  eye  is  adjusted  and  his  hand  trained 
to  write  this  sentence  across  the  page,  using  the  mechanics 
above  described,  ask  him  to  turn  his  paper  to  the  clean  side 
and  write  it  without  the  assistance  of  a  spacing-letter  exer- 
cise, directing  him  to  work  from  his  thought  of  that  device. 
Continue  such  practice  until  he  can  write  this  sentence  auto- 
matically, with  great  legibility  and  facility  of  motion.  See 
second  note  on  page  87,  also  note  on  page  106. 

e.'Ii  during  the  writing  lesson  the  pupil  thus  applies 
movement  to  writing  historical  data  and  masters  such  ap- 
plication as  he  should,  he  can  do  the  same  work  when 
asked  to  write  a  paper  on  that  subject  during  the  history 
lesson.    Why  not? 


APPLICATION  OF  MOVEMENT  119 

Note.  If  the  teacher  thinks  that  writing  thirty  letters  on  one 
line  across  the  page  causes  unsatisfactory  lateral  spacing,  she  should 
have  them  written  across  such  a  part  of  the  width  of  the  paper  as 
she  wishes  to  produce  the  desired  distance  between  any  two  letters 
of  either  exercise  or  word. 

3.  Spelling,  It  is  assumed  that  the  pupils  write  their 
spelling  words  in  a  column.  If  the  sentence  method  is  used, 
previous  instruction  for  applied  movement  in  sentence  writ- 
ing should  be  followed. 

a.  Ask  the  pupil  to  space  the  top  Hue  of  the  column  in 
which  he  is  to  write  his  spelling  with  as  many  *'s  as  there 
are  letters  in  the  longest  word  of  the  lesson.  For  example, 
suppose  that  word  has  eight  letters. 

h.  If  the  first  word  which  the  teacher  gives  contains  but 
five  letters,  the  pupil  should  write  these,  letter  for  letter, 
under  the  first  five  ^'s  of  the  exercise.  If  the  next  word  con- 
tains three  letters,  he  should  write  these,  letter  for  letter, 
under  the  first  three  immediately 
above.  If  the  next  word  contains 
six  letters,  he  should  write  these, 
letter  for  letter,  as  far  as  the  first 
six  exercise  letters  extend  across 
the  paper.  If  the  next  word  has 
eight  letters,  he  should  write  these, 
letter  for  letter,  so  that  the  letters 
of  the   word  will  be    spaced   like 


^^^^^^. 


J^^^^^zJlyf^ 


^^^,Arr^ydy 


^y^j>y}^^'Jij. 


those  of  the  i  exercise.  ^^' 

If  this  plan  is  followed,  three  things  will  be  observed : 
first,  that  the  pupil  will  know  just  where  any  given  letter  of 
every  word  is  to  be  placed,  that  is,  the  first,  second,  third, 
etc.,  under  corresponding  letters  of  the  exercise  ;  second,  that 


120  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

knowing  the  location  of  every  letter  will  help  him  move  his 
hand  while  writing  each  word ;  and  third,  that  almost  the 
same  lateral  spacing  will  be  between  two  letters  of  any  word 
written. 

For  a  practical  application  of  this  mechanical  scheme  ask 
the  pupil  to  write  the  same  words  in  a  spelling  column  of 
equal  width.  Do  not  allow  him  to  write  the  spacing  exercise 
on  the  first  line,  but  compel  him  to  work  from  his  thought 
of  it.  Thus  will  the  mechanical  help  him  to  acquire  the  auto- 
matic movement  of  the  arm. 

If  such  a  drill  is  carried  forward  during  the  writing  lesson 
and  completely  mastered,  there  is  no  reason  why  the  pupil 
will  not  use  applied  movement  from  habit  when  writing  the 
regular  spelling  lesson  in  the  class  room. 

4.  Making  figures.  In  this  connection  attention  should  be 
called  to  rapid  figure  practice.  Commercial  colleges  devote 
considerable  time  to  such  an  exercise,  and  it  should  be  em- 
phasized in  the  applied-movement  work  of  the  public  schools. 

a.  Ask  the  pupil  to  make  a  chain  of  ten  is  across  the  paper. 
These  letters  should  be  equidistant.  Under  these  have  him 
write  the  ten  numerals,  placing  1  under  the  first,  4  under  the 
fourth,  7  under  the  seventh,  and  0  under  the  tenth  i.  In  this 
manner  have  him  fill  each  line  on  the  paper  with  figures. 

h.  In  such  practice  four  things  are  studied : 

1.  Excellence  of  figure  formation  ; 

2.  Smoothness  of  motion ; 

3.  Speed  of  execution  ; 

4.  Alignment  of  figures  in  columns. 

This  last  is  exceedingly  important  in  tlie  figure-column  work 
of  the  counting  room.  It  also  means  much  in  schoolroom 
computations.  It  is  both  restful  and  educational  to  the  pupils 


APPLICATION  OF  MOVEMENT  121 

if  such  study  is  occasionally  arranged  in  place  of  any  other 
lesson  in  penmanship.  Diversity  of  work,  when  not  carried 
to  the  extreme,  with  but  superficial  training  of  the  pupil, 

is  good. 

Counting 

All  music  —  band,  orchestra,  or  chorus  —  has  movement. 
So  has  writing.  It  is  for  the  teacher  to  help  the  pupil  to 
acquire  this  rhythmic  motion.  Counting  has  reference  to 
such  assistance  as  she  may  be  able  to  render  him  in  this 
particular.  That  counting  can  be  used  to  great  advantage, 
or  abused  to  the  detriment  of  the  pupil's  education,  is 
obvious.  The  author  once  observed  a  lesson  given  in  the 
simple  lateral-sweep  exercise  across  the  page.  Between  the 
teacher's  count  of  "one"  (intended  for  the  pupils  to  move 
the  hand  from  the  left  to  the  right  side  of  the  paper)  and 
"two"  (for  the  return  motion)  the  author  leisurely  counted 
to  himself  forty-five.  This  slow  movement  kept  the  class 
from  acquiring  the  very  freedom  for  which  they  were  drill- 
ing. The  same  exercise  has  been  counted  for  by  the  teacher 
at  a  rate  of  speed  so  high  that  it  could  not  be  attained  by 
the  pupils. 

Speed  used  in  counting.  The  speed  which  the  teacher  sets 
for  her  class  should  be  governed  by  two  things : 

1.  By  the  amount  of  work  involved  in  the  exercise. 

2.  By  the  length  of  time  the  exercise  has  been  practiced. 
a.  These  will  determine  how  well  acquainted  the  pupil  is 

with  the  exercise. 

h.  It  should  very  largely  determine  his  proficiency  in 
executing  it. 

Every  member  of  the  class  must  work  in  the  rhythmic 
motion  represented  by  the  teacher's  count,  as  perfectly  as 


122  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

if  she  were  conducting  the  same  class  in  a  singing  lesson. 
Hence  she  must  use  the  most  acute  judgment  in  determin- 
ing the  ability  of  her  pupils  to  follow  her  commands,  which 
should  not  only  guide  but  control  the  movement  of  every 
pen  in  the  class.  The  teacher  should  remember  that  a  grad- 
ual increase  in  speed  is  desirable,  but  that  it  must  always  be 
accompanied  by  smoothness  of  execution  and  constant  im- 
provement in  legibility.  These  results  require  both  patience 
and  time. 

How  to  count.  The  proper  way  to  count  is  to  call  every 
letter  in  the  word  to  be  written.  In  so  doing  two  results  are 
accomplished :  first,  the  pupil  is  trained  in  a  smooth  writing 
motion ;  second,  sufficient  time  will  be  allowed  for  the  mak- 
ing of  every  letter.  Suppose  the  word  "  dime  "  is  to  be  counted. 
It  will  require  more  time  to  write  d  than  to  write  i,  and  m 
will  take  more  time  than  any  other  letter  in  tlie  word.  The 
teacher  should  hold  her  hand  up  before  the  children  and  move 
it  for  writing  these  letters  and  their  connecting  curves  just 
as  she  would  were  she  actually  writing  them  on  paper.  In 
such  practice  she  should  call  the  letters,  giving  the  necessary 
length  of  time  to  the  formation  of  each  one.  Then  pupils  and 
teacher  should  call  every  letter  of  the  word  as  the  teacher's 
upheld  hand  makes  the  motion  to  write  it.  This  naming  of 
the  letters  in  unison  is  of  inestimable  help  to  the  class  in 
understanding  and  acquiring  the  automatic  movement  which 
they  will  finally  use  in  writing  the  word. 

Next  ask  the  pupils  to  take  their  pens  and  write  this  word 
across  one  third  of  their  paper,  naming  each  letter  aloud  as 
they  do  so. 

For  further  application  of  the  above  instruction  ask  the 
class  to  write  this  word  three  times.    While  doing  so  both 


APPLICATION  OF  MOVEMENT  123 

teacher  and  pupils  should  call  the  letters  silently  with  the 
same  speed  and  rhythm  they  used  in  concert  work.  First, 
give  the  command,  "  Write."  After  the  first  word  is  written 
the  teacher  and  pupils  should  say  aloud  "  One,"  during  which 
count  the  hands  should  move  from  the  final  point  of  the  first 
word  back  to  the  left,  to  the  beginning  of  the  second  word. 
When  tliis  is  written,  say  aloud  "  One,"  while  the  hands 
move  from  the  final  point  of  the  second  word  back  to  the 
beginning  of  the  third  word.  When  that  is  written,  teacher 
and  pupils  should  say  "Stop"  on  the  terminating  stroke  of 
the  third  word.  Since  both  teacher  and  pupil  have  main- 
tained the  same  rhythmic  count  silently  which  they  simulta- 
neously gave  aloud  when  they  wrote,  and  since  during  the 
count  of  "  one  "  every  hand  moved  to  the  beginning  of  a  new 
word,  there  is  no  reason  why  every  hand  should  not  stop  at 
the  teacher's  final  command  to  do  so. 

Write  six  or  twelve  words  following  this  silent  plan  for 
work.  Thus  will  the  pupils  gain  the  automatic  motion  re- 
quired to  write  any  word  which  they  may  so  practice. 

This  same  plan  may  be  extended  to  writing  short  sentences 
across  the  paper.  It  is  one  of  the  simplest  and  best  methods 
to  follow  in  helping  pupils  to  acquire  applied  movement  in 
written  work.  Because  of  the  detailed  instruction  above  given 
it  is  unnecessary  to  develop  a  lesson  on  sentence  writing 
according  to  this  plan. 

Note.  This  counting- exercise  is  no  different  in  principle  from  a 
piano  lesson.  In  that  case,  when  the  teacher  gives  a  new  exercise  for 
the  inexperienced  pupil,  she  first  counts  the  time  aloud.  Then  she 
asks  him  to  count  aloud  (perhaps  wdth  her)  as  he  plays.  Finally 
the  pupil  counts  to  himself  as  he  practices,  and  comes  to  play  the 
exercise  automat icdUij. 


124  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

The  question  may  be  asked,  "  Why  not  count  for  every  up- 
stroke and  every  downstroke  of  the  letter  ? "  It  is  better  not 
to  do  so  for  three  reasons.  First,  it  is  too  mechanical.  The 
pupils  will  maintain  the  movement  as  long  as  such  support  is 
given  by  the  teacher.  When  this  ceases,  their  application  of 
movement  stops.  Second,  if  a  count  is  given  for  every  line  of 
the  letter,  the  pupil  will  often  pause  at  the  top  and  at  the 
bottom  of  it.  This  keeps  the  child  from  acquiring  smoothness 
of  execution.  Third,  it  is  an  unnecessary  tax  on  the  teacher's 
throat.  It  is  better  to  conserve  her  energy  and  distribute  it 
more  generally  throughout  the  writing  lesson. 

Suggestions  have  been  given  for  counting  letters  and  words. 
In  counting  for  an  elliptical  exercise,  at  first  count  "  One " 
for  each  entire  revolution  of  the  hand.  If  an  exercise  re- 
quiring a  dozen  revolutions  is  given  for  practice,  instead  of 
counting  from  one  to  twelve  in  separate  counts,  say  "One, 
two,  three,  four,"  and  repeat  this  twice.  Thus  twelve  will 
be  counted  in  three  fours,  which  are  easier  to  speak  than  so 
many  different  numbers. 

The  author  once  listened  to  a  teacher  who  was  counting 
for  an  elliptical  exercise.  Her  method  was  to  accelerate  the 
count,  which,  by  the  way,  was  carried  to  twenty.  The  rapidity 
with  which  she  spoke  the  highest  numbers  may  better  be 
imagined  than  described.  The  author  suggested  that  it  would 
be  easier  for  her  to  count  four  five  times,  than  to  speak 
twenty  different  numbers  so  rapidly.  She  turned,  looked  him 
squarely  in  the  eye,  and  with  considerable  emphasis  said,  "  I 
think  I  can  talk  about  as  fast  as  any  one."  The  author  tacitly 
agreed  that  this  statement  was  correct  (as  doubtless  a  good 
many  young  men  had  previously  decided),  and  no  argument 
followed. 


APPLICATION  OF  MOVEMENT  125 

After  the  class  has  become  acquainted  with  this  exercise 
the  teacher  should  count  aloud  "  one  "  for  every  four  revolu- 
tions of  the  hand.  This  is  not  only  easier  for  the  teacher's 
throat,  but  it  is  a  positive  help  to  the  pupils.  They  depend 
upon  themselves  for  the  other  three  revolutions,  which  they, 
as  well  as  the  teacher,  count  silently. 

When  to  count.  In  the  first  place  it  is  necessary  to  count 
for  every  new  technical  exercise,  word,  or  sentence,  because 
the  pupils  must  get  the  rhythmic  motion  and  speed  of  exe- 
cution which  the  teacher  wishes  them  to  use  in  the  particular 
thing  studied.  Secondly,  if  at  any  time  during  the  silent  count 
the  pupils  lag  in  their  work,  the  teacher  must  count  aloud 
with  them  in  order  to  bring  them  to  her  speed  of  writing, 
just  as  she  would  either  count  or  beat  time  if  the  class  should 
lag  in  a  singing  lesson. 

Speed  work 

There  is  scarcely  anything  in  the  work  of  developing  a  good 
handwriting  which  calls  for  such  nice  judgment  on  the  part 
of  the  instructor  as  teaching  speed  work.  This  includes  three 
things:  first,  good  letter  formation  ;  second,  applied  movement; 
and  third,  rapidity  of  execution.  The  teacher  must  give  the 
poise  of  balance  to  this  combination  which  represents  the  acme 
of  teaching  effort,  and  which  should  produce  ideal  writing  for 
its  result. 

1.  Assuming  that  the  pupils  can  write  sentences  by  using 
applied  movement,  the  first  thing  for  the  teacher  to  do  is 
to  get  every  member  of  the  class  to  write  with  the  same 
speed.  It  is  better  to  make  the  speed  moderate  at  first, 
—  perhaps  on  the  average  one  letter  a  second,  or  sixty  let- 
ters per  minute. 


126  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

Note.  In  deciding  what  speed  she  should  adopt  as  the  standard 
advised  in  paragraph  1,  the  teacher  must  be  governed  by  three  con- 
siderations :  first,  that  the  pupil  is  actually  using  applied  movement ; 
second,  that  he  writes  easily  and  smoothly;  and  third,  that  he  is 
forming  his  letters  with  great  legibility.  If  sixty  letters  per  minute 
proves  too  rapid  for  this  combination,  she  should  begin  with  forty- 
five  letters  to  the  minute. 

2.  To  help  the  pupils  to  acquire  this  uniform  speed  the 
teacher  must  count  (see  pages  121-125),  and  while  doing  so 
she  should  keep  her  eye  on  the  second  hand  of  her  watch, 
which  should  govern  her  counting  and  control  the  pupil's 
writing  motion. 

3.  Sentences  should  be  used  for  copies.  At  first  these 
would  better  be  short,  containing  not  over  fifteen  letters.  As 
has  been  shown  (pages  111-114),  it  is  not  a  difficult  matter 
to  construct  sentences  of  almost  any  desired  length.  Should 
one  contain  fifteen  letters,  this  might  be  written  four  times 
in  one  minute,  if  a  speed  of  sixty  letters  is  desired.  Using 
sentences  for  practice  will  cause  many  different  letters  to 
be  written. 

Note.  It  is  not  an  accurate  test  of  speed  to  allow  the  pupils  to 
study  some  easy  word,  as  "nine,"  which  requires  a  simple  rhythmic 
motion  to  write,  and  after  long  practice  to  give  the  class  two  minutes 
to  write  (more  often  scribble)  this  word  as  many  times  as  they  can, 
and,  when  these  copies  are  written,  to  divide  the  total  number  by  two 
and  then  claim  that  the  pupils  are  able  to  write  so  many  words  per 
minute.  The  basis  on  which  speed  writing  should  be  computed 
ought  to  include  the  writing  of  many  different  letters,  as  well  as 
marked  legibility,  with  but  little  preliminary  practice. 

4.  The  teacher  should  call  the  letters  in  any  sentence 
several  times  in  order  that  the  pupils  may  (1)  understand 
what  speed  she  desires,  and  (2)  work  together  as  a  class. 
After  such  work  she  should  allow  them  to  write  for  two  or 


APPLICATION  OF  MOVEMENT  127 

three  minutes,  depending  entirely  upon  themselves  for  their 
speed  of  execution. 

Note.  When  left  to  themselves  to  write,  it  will  doubtless  be 
noticed  that  some  pupils  will  write  a  little  more  rapidly  than  others. 
This  is  a  part  of  their  individuality  and  is  by  no  means  objection- 
able, providing  the  legibility  of  the  script  is  not  impaired.  In  one 
town  where  the  author  was  supervisor  of  penmanship  there  was  a 
ninth  grade  numbering  more  than  fifty  pupils.  The  average  speed 
of  this  class  in  writing  was  a  little  over  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
letters  per  minute.  Not  one  of  these  scholars  wrote  less  than  one 
hundred  letters  a  minute,  and  the  legibility  of  the  script  of  the  entire 
class  was  highly  satisfactory. 

This  is  a  vastly  different  process  from  that  mentioned  in  the  note 
next  above. 

6.  In  the  preliminary  practice  the  teacher  should  acceler- 
ate her  call  of  the  letters  so  gradually  that  the  change  will 
be  almost  imperceptible  to  the  pupils.  With  this  help  they 
will  find  no  difficulty  in  acquiring  any  slight  increase  in  speed 
without  impairing  the  legibility  of  their  script. 

6.  If  a  teacher  can  succeed  in  training  her  pupils  to  in- 
crease their  speed  of  execution  ^'yg  letters  a  minute  per  month, 
while  maintaining  equal  legihility,  she  is  doing  all  that  could 
reasonably  be  asked  in  this  particular.  In  such  a  case,  at  the 
end  of  a  school  year  of  ten  months  her  pupils  will  write  fifty 
letters  per  minute  faster  than  at  the  beginning  of  the  year. 


CHAPTEE  V 
COURSE  OF  STUDY 

It  would  be  exceedingly  difficult  to  specify  exactly  what 
and  how  much  to  teach  in  penmanship  in  any  one  grade.  In 
the  first  place,  the  weekly  time  allowance  for  this  study  varies 
greatly  in  different  cities  and  towns,  and  secondly,  the  num- 
ber of  grades  which  study  the  subject  differs  in  many  places. 
This  matter  is  often  determined  by  the  age  of  the  pupil  when 
he  first  enters  school.  Eecently  some  cities  have  raised  the 
age  limit  to  five  and  one-half  years,  while  others  do  not  ad- 
mit a  child  until  he  is  six.  In  some  places,  therefore,  writing 
is  studied  in  seven  grades,  in  others  in  eight  grades,  and  in 
yet  others  it  is  studied  during  the  entire  nine  years  of  grade 
work.  The  third  reason  why  it  would  be  difficult  to  state 
exactly  the  work  of  studying  penmanship  in  any  grade  is 
that  the  ability  of  the  class  must  be  considered.  It  is  not 
always  possible  for  a  teacher  to  do  this  year  with  her  class 
what  she  did  last  year,  or  what  she  may  be  able  to  accom- 
plish with  her  next  year's  pupils.  In  teaching  penmanship 
thorough  work  is  much  more  satisfactory  than  superficially 
rushing  through  a  lot  of  prescribed  directions  which  a  course 
of  study  may  stipulate. 

The  suggestions  here  given  may  well  be  used  as  a  basis 
in  outlining  the  work  of  any  particular  grade,  subject, 
of  course,  to  such  modifications  as  local  conditions  may 
necessitate. 

128 


COURSE  OF  STUDY  129 

First  year's  work 

Kead  "Supervision  of  first-grade  work,"  page  51,  also 
"  Instruction  should  be  modified  for  first  and  second  grades," 
page  46. 

Teach  positions  at  board  and  desk  before  letter  formation 

1.  Before  the  child  makes  a  mark  on  the  board  teach  him 
how  to  stand  there  properly  to  write.  To  assist  in  this  par- 
ticular, the  teacher  should  first  mark  off  a  section  in  which 
each  child  is  to  work.  This  should  be  done  with  oblique  lines 
(representing  the  slant  of  the  script  to  be  taught)  and  not 
with  vertical  lines.    See  Fig.  61. 

2.  Place  a  pupil  at  each  section.  Stand  him  with  his  left 
side  turned  toward  the  board. 

3.  Make  some  dots  at  the  top  of  the  board.  Teach  him  to 
look  up  between  the  two  oblique  hues  of  his  section  to  the 
first  dot  at  the  left  side  of  it.  This  represents  his  line  of 
vision  when  writing  on  the  board.  Then  ask  him  to  hold 
his  right  hand  up  on  the  board  toward  the  dot  as  high  as  he 
can  reach,  and  move  it  obliquely  downward  toward  his  eyes. 
This  practice  will  train  his  hand  to  make  the  downstrokes 
of  the  letters  on  the  proper  slant.  Have  him  step  to  the 
right  so  that  his  body  will  be  in  the  same  relation  to  the 
second  dot  that  it  was  to  the  first  dot.  Ask  him  to  continue 
the  practice  called  for  in  this  paragraph.  Then  have  him 
move  to  the  third  dot  and  repeat  the  work. 

4.  Ask  him  to  take  a  piece  of  crayon  and  make  long, 
straight,  oblique  lines  under  the  dots,  using  the  motion  ac- 
(juired  in  paragraph  3.  Following  this  he  should  make  letters, 
using  these  oblique  lines  for  their  downstrokes.    See  Fig.  61. 


130 


PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 


Fig.  61  represents  first-grade  pupils  writing  at  the  board.    The 
lighter  oblique  lines  form  the  section  in  which  the  pupil  writes.    The 


Fig. 61 

white  lines  on  the  floor  furnish  another  instance  of  the  deception  of 
the  camera.    They  should  not  be  drawn  so  near  a  right  angle  to  the 


COURSE  OF  STUDY  131 

wall  but  should  form  an  angle  of  25°-30°  with  it,  depending  on  the 
slant  of  script.  When  such  an  oblique  crayon  line  is  drawn  on  the 
floor  ask  the  pupil  to  stand  with  his  toes  touching  it.  In  so  doing  he 
will  stand  with  his  left  side  turned  toward  the  board,  which  will  place 
him  in  the  proper  position  to  look  up  and  down  between  the  oblique 
column  lines  as  well  as  in  the  correct  position  to  write  slant  script. 

5.  Next  teach  him  as  much  about  the  desk  positions  as 
he  has  been  told  about  the  board  positions. 

6.  Teach  him  to  sit  properly  at  his  desk.  Follow  instruc- 
tions given  on  pages  3  and  4. 

7.  Teach  him  the  correct  position  of  the  paper  on  the  desk. 
Make  special  use  of  the  instructions  on  page  31,  "Angle 
to  keep  paper  in  proper  position  " ;  also  last  part  of  "  How  to 
record  the  line  of  vision,"  page  27.  To  make  this  arrow  still 
more  effective  make  a  white  crayon  dot  on  the  desk  just 
above  the  pencil  ledge.  Tell  the  pupil  to  point  the  arrow 
toward  this  dot  while  he  is  writing  on  the  paper. 

8.  Teach  the  upright  position  of  the  hand  in  pencil  hold- 
ing. Follow  the  instructions  beginning  on  page  11  and  com- 
pleted on  pages  12  and  13. 

9.  Modify  these  suggestions,  however,  by  eliminating  the 
written  work  called  for  in  paragraphs  c  and  d,  page  11  (for 
the  child  cannot  yet  form  letters),  and  apply  them  to  mak- 
ing horizontal  line  slides  across  the  paper. 

If  the  teacher  wishes,  the  pupil  may  at  first  hold  a  ruler 
while  practicing  for  the  upright  position  of  the  hand.  See 
page  11.  A  word  is  necessary  regarding  the  kind  of  pencil 
which  a  first-grade  pupil  should  use.  This  is  much  larger  in 
circumference  than  the  ordinary  pencil,  and  has  a  soft  crayon 
lead.  It  is  usually  known  by  a  stock  number.  All  pencil 
makers  have  this  kind,  and  undoubtedly  would  furnish  sam- 
ples to  any  school  superintendent. 


132  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

Fig.  2,  page  8,  shows  correct  penholding  as  seen  from  the  right 
side  of  the  hand.  Fig.  3,  page  9,  illustrates  the  top  and  left  side  of 
the  hand,  while  Fig.  62  gives  a  front  view  of  it.  It  also  gives  a  good 
idea  of  the  correct  body  position  and  of  the  correct  position  of  the 


Fig.  62 

paper  for  writing  script  of  25°  slant ;  shows  how  the  paper  is  held 
by  the  tips  of  the  fingers  of  the  left  hand ;  how  the  ruler  is  placed 
for  the  line  of  vision;  that  the  boy  is  looking  along  that  line 
and  that  the  downstrokes  would  be  made  parallel  to  this  ruler, 
hence  he  would  write  slant  script.    In  order  to  delineate  clearly  so 


COURSE  OF  STUDY  133 

many  details  the  camera  was  placed  a  little  to  the  right,  which  made 
the  top  of  the  pencil  point  toward  the  shoulder.  The  top  of  this  pen- 
cil actually  pointed  as  is  shown  in  Fig.  3,  page  9.  See  a  similar  ex- 
planation in  description  of  Fig.  2,  page  9. 

10.  Next  teach  the  axis  line  of  the  script  on  paper.  Fol- 
low instructions  given  on  page  30,  paragraphs  1-5 ;  also 
paragraph  6,  page  31.  During  this  practice  emphasize  the 
upright  position  of  the  hand,  as  in  making  the  lateral  slides 
across  the  paper.    See  paragraph  9,  page  131. 

Now  the  pupil  should  know  {a)  how  to  stand  at  the  black- 
board; (h)  what  his  line  of  vision  is  while  writing  there; 
(c)  how  to  make  oblique  straight  lines  to  represent  the  slant 
of  the  script ;  and  {d)  how  to  make  some  letters  having  these 
oblique  lines  for  their  downstrokes.  He  should  also  under- 
stand (a)  how  to  sit  at  his  desk  while  writing;  (b)  how  to 
place  his  paper  on  the  desk ;  (c)  how  to  move  his  arm  across 
the  paper  and  back  again,  keeping  his  hand  upright  while  he 
does  so;  and  {d)  how  to  keep  his  hand  upright  and  make  on 
his  paper  straight  oblique  lines  to  represent  the  slant  of  the 
script.  He  is  now  doing  parallel  work  on  blackboard  and 
paper, 

11.  Give  each  pupil  a  piece  of  unruled  manila  number 
paper.  This  is  commonly  cut  6x9  inches  in  size.  Place  the 
paper  with  its  length  parallel  to  the  front  edge  of  the  desk 
and  teach  him  to  fold  it  three  times.  Do  not  crease  it.  Let 
him  use  these  folds  as  lines  on  which  to  write.  Give  him 
sufficient  assistance  to  enable  him  to  do  this  work  well. 

12.  For  the  first  part  of  the  next  lesson  send  the  pupils  to 
the  board  to  make  some  axis  or  slant  lines.  These  should  be 
at  least  three  or  four  inches  long.  Repeat  as  much  of  the  in- 
struction given  in  paragraph  3,  page  129,  as  may  be  necessary. 


134  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

Note.  During  the  early  part  of  the  first  year  every  writing  les- 
son should  begin  on  the  blackboard.  Following  this,  immediate  ap- 
plication should  be  made  by  the  pupil  on  unruled  paper  at  his  desk. 
Such  application  must  be  made  after  a  few  minutes'  practice  at  the 
board,  for  two  reasons  :  first,  the  teacher's  instruction  is  fresh  in 
the  pupil's  mind,  and  to  some  extent  fastened  there  by  his  black- 
board practice,  and  hence  he  will  receive  the  greatest  benefit  from 
its  use ;  second,  writing  on  the  board  is  a  different  process  (the  arm 
swings  from  the  shoulder)  from  writing  at  the  desk  (where  the  arm 
rests  on  the  muscle  in  front  of  the  elbow),  and  the  pupil  should 
accustom  himself  to  the  desk  conditions.  Such  alternation  of  board 
and  paper  practice  is  highly  beneficial. 

Teaching  the  script 

Read  notes  1-4,  page  38 ;  and  note  5,  page  39. 

1.  When  the  axis  lines  are  made  well,  assist  the  pupils  to 
convert  them  into  i's  by  adding  a  final  curve  at  the  bottom 
and  placing  a  dot  over  the  top  of  each  one. 

2.  After  a  few  moments  of  such  practice  send  the  pupils 
to  their  desks.  Eepeat  the  board  lesson  on  paper.  .First,  ask 
them  to  make  axis  or  slant  lines.  These  should  be  at  least 
half  an  inch  apart,  and  the  base  of  any  line  should  not  quite 
touch  the  "fold"  in  the  paper  which  they  use  as  a  writ- 
ing line. 

3.  When  these  lines  are  made  well,  assist  the  pupils  to 
convert  them  into  t's  by  adding  a  final  curve  at  the  bottom 
(which  should  rest  on  the  fold)  and  placing  a  dot  over  the  top 
of  each  slant  line. 

4.  For  the  next  lesson  give  practice  in  making  i  as  a 
whole  form  without  developing  it  as  specified  above.  These 
letters  are  first  to  be  made  on  the  board,  and  then  on  paper. 
On  paper  they  must  be  made  so  large  that  the  pupil  cannot 
write  them  with  his  fingers.    This  will  induce  his  forearm  to 


COURSE  OF  STUDY  135 

move  when  he  forms  them.  See  page  81.  For  the  present 
omit  teaching  the  u  and  w.  No  word  can  be  made  from 
the  i,  u,  and  w  alone.  Next  teach  n.  Study  this  letter  as  a 
whole  form. 

5.  The  teacher  should  make  one  n  in  each  oblique  section 
on  the  board,  as  a  copy  for  the  pupils.  This  should  be  at 
least  three  inches  high  and  of  proportionate  width. 

6.  When  the  pupils  take  their  places  to  write,  have  them 
stand  a  little  way  from  the  board,  with  the  left  side  turned 
toward  it.  Ask  them  to  lift  the  right  arm,  holding  the  crayon 
in  the  hand,  and  to  make  motions  to  trace  the  teacher's  n  for 
their  copy. 

7.  After  the  tracing  ask  them  to  write  n  on  the  board, 
using  the  same  motion  which  they  used  in  tracing. 

8.  After  a  little  practice  on  the  board  ask  the  pupils  to 
go  to  their  desks  and  make  ti's  on  the  unruled  manila  paper. 
They  should  use  the  folds  for  writing  lines.  For  the  first 
paper  practice  the  teacher  should  write  one  letter  as  a  copy 
for  each  pupil.  Make  these  letters  large,  to  induce  forearm 
movement.  The  first  unit  letters  should  be  one  inch  high 
and  of  proportionate  width. 

9.  For  the  next  lesson  develop  the  word  "  in."  Follow  the 
plan  of  teaching  first  on  the  board  and  then  on  paper  at  the 
desk.  Make  large  letters  on  paper  and  help  the  child  to  move 
his  forearm  when  writing. 

10.  For  the  next  lesson  teach  o. 

11.  For  the  next  lesson  teach  the  word  "no." 

12.  For  the  next  lesson  reverse  these  letters  and  teach  "on." 

13.  For  the  next  lesson  join  these  two  words,  thus  writ- 
ing "noon." 

14.  For  the  next  lesson  develop  e  from  o. 


136  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

15.  For  the  next  lesson  add  e  to  the  word  "on,"  thus 
writing  "  one."    Next  write  "  none  "  and  "  nine." 

Following  this  detailed  work,  teach  one  new  letter  at  a 
time,  and  then  use  it  in  writing  words.  In  so  doing  re- 
member three  suggestions : 

1.  Use  as  the  base  of  each  new  word  the  whole  or  a  part 
of  a  word  previously  written.  With  this  use  the  last  letter 
studied. 

2.  Construct  short  words. 

3.  See  that  each  word  is  perfectly  understood  by  the 
young  pupil. 

Develop  the  suggestions  given  below  : 

Teach  c  and  "ice,"  "mice,"  "once." 

Teach  m  and  "me,"  "men,"  "mine,"  "mice,"  "come,"  "moo," 
"moon." 

Teach  w  and  "we,"  "new,"  "mew,"  "now,"  "cow,"  "own." 

Teach  t  and  "it,"  "  mit,"  "  net,"  "  met,"  "  wet,"  "  not,"  "  tin," 
"time,"  "tie,"  "to,"  "toe,"  "ten,"  "tent,"  "cent,"  "went." 

Teach  s  and  "is,"  "soon,"  "see,"  "sun,"  "seem,"  "set," 
"some,"  "sown,"  "snow,"  "sent,"  "sew." 

Teach  a  and  "an,"  "can,"  "man,"  "am,"  "at,"  "cat,"  "mat," 
"sat,"  "saw,"  "as,"  "was." 

When  these  words  have  been  taught,  sentence  formation 
is  a  very  simple  process.  First  teach  /,  the  period,  and  the 
interrogation  point.  Select  from  the  above  list  such  words 
as  may  be  desired  for  sentences.  The  pupils  can  write  every 
one,  and  constructing  sentences  is  a  matter  of  arrangement 
and  review  of  these  words ;  for  example : 

I  see  a  cow.  I  can  come  soon. 

I  own  a  tent.  Is  it  a  new  tie  ? 

I  see  some  snow.  I  see  a  nice  man. 


COURSE  OF  STUDY  137 

It  is  a  cat.  I  saw  a  new  cent. 

It  can  mew.  It  is  a  net. 

It  was  sent  to  me.  I  met  a  man. 

It  is  not  noon.  It  is  a  tin  can. 

Is  it  wet  ?  It  is  time  to  sew. 

It  is  a  new  moon.  I  saw  nine  mice. 

I  saw  it  set.  I  sat  on  a  mat. 

I  see  ten  toes.  It  is  mine. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  as  a  result  of  teaching  ten 
different  small  letters,  one  capital,  and  a  little  punctuation, 
a  variety  of  words  and  sentences  can  be  written. 

If  it  is  desired  to  duplicate  a  hst  of  words  which  the  pupil 
is  learning  in  his  primer  or  reader,  in  a  similar  manner  a  few 
necessary  letters  should  be  taught  and  combined  into  the 
same  words  and  sentences  which  the  child  is  reading  (see 
page  38,  note  2.  Or  one  may  begin  by  teaching  the  word  or 
sentence  as  an  expression  of  thought,  and  afterward  teach- 
ing the  most  difficult  letters  contained  in  it  (see  page  38, 
paragraph  4. 

Thus  the  work  of  teaching  writing  in  the  first  grade  should 
be  begun.  As  the  year  advances  other  capitals  and  small 
letters  must  be  taught  and  words  and  sentences  written.  The 
script  may  also  be  somewhat  reduced  in  height.  The  teacher 
should  assist  the  pupil  to  move  his  forearm  as  he  writes  (see 
paragraph  9,  page  143).  About  the  middle  of  this  year  the 
single-Hne  ruled  paper  (with  a  wide  space  between  any  two 
lines)  should  be  introduced  and  used  in  all  written  work. 
The  unit  letters  should  be  one  third  as  high  as  this  space, 
and  the  length  of  other  letters  should  be  made  accordingly. 

If  any  lesson  proves  difficult  for  the  children  to  master  on 
this  kind  of  ruled  paper,  the  teacher  should  give  it  first  on 


138  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

the  blackboard  and  on  unruled  paper,  and  then  on  the  single- 
line  ruled  paper. 

At  the  end  of  the  first  year's  work  the  pupil  should 
be   able 

1.  To  stand  properly  at  the  board  and  write  on  the  correct 
slant. 

2.  To  sit  properly  at  his  desk. 

3.  To  place  the  paper  on  the  desk  properly. 

4.  To  hold  the  hand  upright  wliile  writing,  as  this  partic- 
ular detail  of  correct  penholding  has  been  acquired. 

5.  To  write  letters  and  words  with  an  induced  movement 
of  the  forearm. 

6.  To  write  legibly  on  wide-spaced,  single-lined  paper. 

7.  To  make  the  script  a  little  smaller  than  the  unit  letters 
which  he  made  the  first  of  this  year. 

Second  year's  work 

1.  The  first  month  of  the  second  year  should  be  spent  in 
reviewing  the  work  of  the  first  year.  The  pupils'  mental  con- 
cepts of  the  letter  forms  are  imperfect  and  need  to  be  im- 
proved. The  children  also  need  practice  for  the  purpose  of 
acquiring  more  accurate  execution.  If  necessary,  begin  the 
year's  lessons  on  the  board  and  on  unruled  manila  paper. 
Soon  the  pupils  will  be  able  to  do  all  their  written  work  on 
single-line  ruling.  This  ruling  should  have  less  space  between 
any  two  writing  lines  than  that  wliich  was  used  the  first  year, 
because  the  writing  should  be  a  little  smaller.  For  height  of 
letters  follow  the  "Code  of  rules  on  scale  of  script,"  page  54. 

Note.  One  thing  which  especially  injures  the  appearance  of 
writing  in  the  second  and  third  grades  is  the  difference  in  space 
between  any  two  base  lines  of  the  various  rulings.    Sometimes  a 


COURSE  OF  STUDY  139 

guide-line  paper  is  used  ;  this  marks  one  unit  of  height.  Then 
a  single-line  paper  is  given  the  pupil  on  which  to  write  his  school 
exercises  ;  this  demands  a  different  size  of  script.  To  add  to  this  evil, 
the  ruled  pad  which  the  pupil  uses  causes  him  to  write  still  another 
size,  and  his  copy  book  differs  from"  them  all.  The  result  is  a  con- 
stant adjustment  of  the  pupil's  handwriting  to  meet  the  require- 
ments of  these  rulings.  If  this  adjustment  is  not  made,  the  script 
on  the  various  papers  looks  worse  than  a  misfit  coat  on  a  man's  back. 
This  matter  can  be  controlled  to  a  great  extent.  If  a  guide-line 
paper  is  used,  be  sure  that  the  unit  space  is  one  third  of  that  be- 
tween any  two  lines  on  the  single-line  pajier,  or  the  page  of  the 
copy  book,  which  the  pupil  uses.  The  base  lines  of  all  three  should 
exactly  agree. 

2.  All  writing  on  paper  should  be  done  with  a  pencil  dur- 
ing the  greater  part  of  this  year.  This  may  be  the  one  com- 
monly used,  and  not  the  crayon  pencil.  The  teacher  should 
begin  early  enough  in  the  year  to  teach  work  with  pen  and 
ink  (see  page  19)  to  be  sure  that  the  pupils  will  understand 
their  use  and  be  able  to  write  neatly  with  ink  before  they 
enter  the  third  grade. 

3.  After  the  first  month's  review  it  is  well  to  use  a  copy 
book.  First,  teach  the  ruling  of  the  book,  so  that  the  pupil 
will  write  on  the  proper  line.  Have  the  copies  written  across 
the  page  and  not  in  columns.  Keep  the  pupils  together  while 
they  are  writing  any  line.   This  should  be  book  number  one. 

When  the  book  is  begun  the  teacher  should  count  the 
number  of  copies  in  it.  She  should  also  ascertain  the  number 
of  weeks  remaining  in  the  school  year.  Then  she  can  easily 
compute  the  average  number  of  copies  to  be  written  each 
week  in  order  to  complete  the  book. 

4.  The  teacher  must  be  especially  particular  about  accept- 
ing written  papers  from  the  class.  She  should  take  no  work 
which  has  been  carelessly  done.    There  is  no  better  time  to 


140  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

impress  the  need  of  neatness  and  general  excellence  than 
when  the  pupil  is  young.  The  same  is  true  of  the  care  of 
the  pen  (see  note  at  top  of  page  20)  and  the  use  of  the  blotter 
(see  page  20). 

5.  During  this  year  two  more  details  of  correct  penhold- 
ing  should  be  taught,  and  mastered  by  the  pupil :  first,  the 
third  and  fourth  finger-nail  rest  for  the  hand  (see  page  13) ; 
and  second,  the  elevated  wrist  (see  page  13).  It  is  much 
easier  to  do  this  work  before  the  pupil  becomes  confirmed  in 
poor  penholding  than  it  is  to  break  that  habit. 

6.  When  writing  a  word  for  the  pupil  to  copy,  the  teacher 
should  purposely  place  the  letters  farther  apart  than  usual. 
This  will  induce  a  lateral  sliding  movement  of  the  hand. 

The  results  which  should  be  accomplished  at  the  end  of 
the  second  year's  work  in  penmanship  are: 

1.  He  has  acquired  the  proper  body  position  at  the  board 
and  ability  to  write  on  the  correct  slant. 

2.  He  has  acquired  the  proper  body  position  at  the  desk. 

3.  He  understands  the  proper  paper  or  book  position  on 
the  desk. 

4.  He  has  acquired  three  details  of  correct  penholding : 
(a)  The  upright  position  of  the  hand. 

(h)  The  third  and  fourth  finger-nail  rest. 
(c)  The  elevated  wrist. 

5.  He  has  acquired  a  more  uniform  size  of  script  because 
of  more  uniform  rulings  of  paper,  and  greater  ability  to  write 
well  because  of  extended  practice.  The  script  is  a  little  smaller 
than  the  pupil  wrote  last  year. 

6.  His  script  is  much  improved  because  of  following  the 
models  in  a  copy  book  in  addition  to  tlie  teacher's  in- 
struction. 


COURSE  OF  STUDY  141 

7.  He  has  mastered  pen-and-ink  work. 

8.  He  has  completed  copy  book  number  one. 

9.  He  uses  the  forearm  movement,  which  was  induced  by 
the  size  of  letter  and  open  lateral  spacing  between  the 
letters  in  the  teacher's  copy. 

Third  year's  work 

The  pupils'  writing  during  the  third  year  must  pattern 
closely  after  the  style  of  script  they  study,  and  should  be  con- 
spicuous for  its  excellence.  To  begin  with,  the  pupils  are 
more  mature  and  are  capable  of  modifying  to  a  great  degree 
their  mental  concepts  of  the  letters.  Such  change  may  be 
necessary  to  perfect  both  concept  and  letter.  Another  reason 
why  the  pupils  are  able  to  show  better  mechanical  execution 
is  the  result  of  a  longer  period  of  proper  training.  Finally, 
this  is  the  last  school  year  which  will  be  devoted  wholly  to 
the  study  of  letter  formation.  Next  year  the  pupils  will  be- 
gin the  study  of  technical  movement,  and  the  time  for  the 
writing  lesson  will  have  to  be  divided  between  that  and  letter 
formation. 

It  may  therefore  reasonably  be  expected  of  the  third-grade 
teacher  that  her  instruction  in  penmanship  shall  be  reflected 
in  the  general  excellence  of  her  pupils'  written  work. 

Application  of  this  perfection  of  letter  formation 

While  the  above  should  be  true  of  the  copy  book,  it  must 
be  preeminently  so  of  the  written  exercise  of  the  class  room. 
To  teach  writing  for  the  prime  purpose  of  making  a  hand- 
some page  is  not  the  correct  use  but  is  the  abuse  of  a  copy 
l)ook.  Do  not  make  the  mistake  of  using  the  entire  writing 
period  for  technical  teaching  and  practice.     A  part  of  this 


142  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

time  should  invariably  be  used  for  the  direct  application  of 
what  is  taught  and  practiced  to  the  regular  written  exer- 
cises of  the  class  room.  This  is  the  twofold  purpose  of  every 
writing  lesson. 

1.  To  assist  in  such  application  the  following  plan  may  be 
used.  First,  write  the  copy  on  the  board  and  teach  it  (see 
model  lesson,  pages  41-43).  Develop  this  instruction  slowly. 
Second,  direct  the  pupil  to  write  a  few  practice  lines  on  paper. 
Third,  have  him  write  the  copy  in  his  copy  book.  These  three 
things  have  helped  him  to  visualize  the  model  taught.  Now 
direct  the  pupil  to  close  his  book.  Next  give  each  child  a 
piece  of  single-line  paper  and  ask  him  to  write  a  good  many 
lines  of  the  copy  from  memory.  This  work  must  be  super- 
vised. If  the  teacher  feels  that  an  occasional  reference  to  the 
printed  copy  will  be  helpful,  it  may  be  allowed.  It  will  be  far 
better,  however,  to  have  the  pupil  learn  to  visualize  the  copy 
and  to  work  from  that.  Such  work  of  application  is  the  most 
important  that  can  be  suggested.  The  copy  book  is  not  the 
end  but  the  means  to  the  end,  —  the  ability  of  the  child  to 
write  well  at  all  times.  The  last  practice  in  any  penmanship 
lesson  should  be  upon  paper  and  not  in  the  writing  book. 

2.  Another  method  of  application  is,  after  teaching  a  copy, 
to  ask  the  pupil  to  write  three  or  four  lines  of  it  as  well  as 
he  possibly  can.  In  so  doing  he  sets  his  own  standard  of  ex- 
cellence. As  soon  as  this  is  done,  dictate  some  text  which 
pertains  to  a  school  study,  or  ask  him  to  write  a  short  memory 
gem.  This  work  must  be  written  as  well  as  the  repeated  copy 
at  the  top  of  the  page. 

3.  Still  another  plan  is  to  have  the  pupils  understand  that 
once  in  two  or  four  weeks  a  set  of  papers  representing  some 
regular  written  exercise  of  the  class  room  is  to  be  put  away 


COURSE  OF  STUDY  143 

by  the  teacher.  The  pupils  are  not  to  be  told  what  set  it  is 
to  be.  Such  specimens  will  be  preserved,  and  will  form  the 
basis  for  each  scholar's  mark  in  penmanship  for  the  year's 
work.  The  possibility  that  any  set  may  be  selected  for  this 
purpose  should  serve  to  call  forth  the  pupils'  best  efforts. 

4.  This  is  the  grade  in  which  to  begin  the  definite  and 
specific  study  of  a  letter  (see  note,  page  46).  Do  not  give 
too  much  instruction,  however,  at  any  one  lesson. 

5.  During  this  year  the  plan  for  teaching  the  scale  of  script 
may  be  used  to  some  extent.  The  pupils  are  old  enough  to 
begin  such  work,  and  it  will  be  helpful  in  making  the  writ- 
ing uniform  in  size.     See  instructions,  pages  51-55. 

6.  The  pupil  should  begin  to  learn  the  basal  forms  of  the 
letters,  as  suggested  in  "Memory  lesson"  on  page  39. 

7.  Add  one  or  two  details  of  correct  penholding  and  have 
the  pupil  master  them. 

8.  Copy  book  number  two  should  be  completed  this  year. 
Write  this  with  pen  and  ink. 

9.  The  teacher  should  make  continued  effort  to  have  the 
pupil  use  the  forearm  movement  when  writing.  While  he 
holds  the  pen,  she  should  cover  his  hand  with  hers  and  move 
it  across  the  paper  as  he  forms  the  letters.  If  the  copy  word 
is  first  written  with  open  spacing  (see  first  paragraph  6,  page 
140),  such  movement  will  be  facilitated. 

10.  Have  each  pupil  make  the  application  of  movement 
work  just  noted,  without  assistance  from  the  teacher  in  mov- 
ing his  hand. 

The  status  of  the  pupil  in  penmanship  at  the  end  of  the 
third  year  in  school  may  be  expressed  as  follows : 

1.  He  has  acquired  the  proper  body  position  at  the  board 
and  the  ability  to  write  well  on  correct  slant. 


144  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

2.  He  has  acquired  the  proper  body  position  at  the  desk. 

3.  He  understands  the  proper  paper  or  book  position  on 
the  desk. 

4.  The  three  details  of  correct  penholding  mastered  by  the 
pupil  during  the  first  and  second  years  are  still  retained,  and 
one  or  two  new  ones  have  been  added  this  year.  Those  taught 
this  year  have  been  left  for  the  teacher  to  choose. 

5.  There  is  a  closer  resemblance  of  the  pupil's  writing  to 
that  of  the  style  of  script  taught.  This  is  a  little  smaller  than 
he  wrote  last  year. 

6.  The  writing  is  the  most  perfect  the  pupil  has  done 
during  the  three  years  of  school  life,  and  has  a  marked 
degree  of  excellence  when  compared  with  the  work  of  his 
first  two  years. 

7.  He  should  apply  this  kind  of  script  in  writing  class- 
room exercises. 

8.  The  work  of  definitely  and  specifically  teaching  and 
studying  letter  forms  has  been  begun.  The  teacher  depends 
less  upon  the  imitative  faculty  of  the  pupil  to  reproduce  the 
copy  in  the  book,  and  more  upon  his  definite  knowledge  of 
letter  forms. 

9.  The  pupil  has  begun  to  learn  the  basal  forms  of  letters, 
and,  as  far  as  these  are  developed,  he  knows  the  letters  of 
any  class  evolved  from  them. 

10.  Copy  book  number  two  has  been  written  in  ink.  The 
teacher  has  emphasized  the  forms  of  the  figures  in  both  copy 
book  and  number  work. 

11.  The  pupil  uses  an  induced  movement  of  the  fore- 
arm when  writing.  This  he  acquired  from  the  open  lateral 
spacing  of  his  copies  and  the  help  he  received  when  the 
teacher  moved  his  hand. 


COURSE  OF  STUDY  145 


Fourth  year's  work 


1.  The  pupil  should  now  have  a  good  foundation  for  ad- 
vanced work.  After  the  usual  review,  which  should  be  car- 
ried forward  the  first  month  of  every  school  year,  he  should 
begin  the  study  of  technical  movement.  The  exercises  and 
suggestions  for  teaching  theni  are  found  on  pages  84-96. 
Follow  this  detailed  instruction  carefully  and  develop  slowly 
during  the  year  as  much  as  the  pupil  can  profitably  use. 

2.  There  are  two  reasons  why  movement  ought  to  be  so 
studied  at  this  time.  First,  to  gain  control  of  the  forearm. 
If  the  pupil  intelligently  practices  and  masters  a  few  basal 
exercises,  such  work  will  greatly  assist  him  in  this  particular. 
Second,  during  this  practice  he  will  learn  for  what  movement 
in  writing  is  used.    See  "Movement  explained,"  pages  77-80. 

3.  One  half  of  the  writing  lesson  is  to  be  used  for  the 
movement  study  called  for  in  paragraph  2  (see  note,  page  86). 
The  other  half  of  the  lesson  period  is  for  studying  letter 
formation  and  its  application  (see  page  141,  "Application  of 
this  perfection  of  letter  formation,"  paragraphs  1,  2,  and  3).  If 
each  lesson  cannot  conveniently  be  so  divided,  then  two  les- 
sons in  movement  and  three  in  letter  formation  should  be 
given  one  week,  while  this  order  should  be  reversed  the  next 
week.  Thus  every  two  weeks  five  lessons  would  be  given 
in  each  study. 

4.  But  little  application  of  movement  should  be  attempted 
this  year.  It  is  more  important  to  give  the  pupil  a  good 
foundation  in  technical  and  theoretical  work,  as  will  be 
proved  in  future  years. 

5.  Good  penholding,  if  not  already  a  habit,  must  become 
so  at  once.    There  is  nothing  which  will  defeat  successful 


146  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

results  in  movement  practice  to  a  greater  extent  than  poor 
penholding.  If  a  pupil  has  attended  school  where  penhold- 
ing  has  been  systematically  taught  for  three  years,  there  is 
no  reason  why  the  fourth  year  should  not  see  it  perfected. 

6.  During  the  initial  work  of  teaching  movement,  if  it  is 
difficult  for  any  pupil  to  follow  the  teacher's  directions  on 
paper,  she  should  make  a  column  on  the  board  by  drawing 
obhque  lines  (see  page  129,  paragraph  1).  She  should  direct 
the  pupil  to  carry  forward  his  first  movement  practice  within 
this  column,  and  then  to  make  immediate  application  on 
paper.  In  this  transition  she  must  not  fail  to  show  him  the 
difference  between  the  whole  arm  movement  at  the  board 
and  the  forearm  movement  at  the  desk. 

7.  The  copy  book  to  be  written  this  year  is  number  three. 
When  this  is  begun,  the  teacher  should  compute  the  average 
number  of  pages  to  be  written  each  week.  In  doing  so  she 
must  not  forget  that  one  half  of  each  lesson  is  to  be  move- 
ment work. 

Note.  For  the  benefit  of  a  rural  teacher,  or  one  who  has  an 
ungraded  class,  the  following  suggestion  is  given  regarding  what 
copy  book  should  be  used. 

If  there  are  four  grades  in  one  room,  use  one  average  num- 
ber of  a  book  in  which  all  can  write.  If  there  are  eight 
grades,  divide  these  into  two  classes  and  use  one  book  for 
each  class.  Thus  will  the  teacher  be  able  to  concentrate  her 
efforts  in  teaching  and  to  do  more  individual  work. 

If  necessary,  in  an  eighth- grade  room,  give  writing  lessons 
to  these  two  classes  on  alternating  days ;  or,  select  the  same 
capital  letter  for  practice  in  each  book,  being  guided  in  the 
development  of  such  study  by  one  book.  Thus,  one  class 
would  write  the  pages  of  their  book  consecutively,  while  the 


COURSE  OF  STUDY  147 

other  class  might  have  to  select  certain  pages  in  their  book 
where  the  same  capital  letter  occurred.  This  would  not  be 
objectionable,  provided  the  teacher  found  it  imperative  to 
make  one  class  of  the  eight  grades.  The  class  containing 
the  younger  four  grades,  however,  would  better  be  the  one 
to  write  their  book  continuously. 

8.  The  pupil  should  continue  to  memorize  the  principles 
and  the  several  classes  of  letters  made  from  them,  as  well  as 
the  individual  letters  of  each  division  (see  "Memory  lesson," 
page  39).  He  should  also  be  able  to  state  clearly  the  im- 
portant details  of  form  of  any  written  character  that  he  has 
been  taught.  When  teaching  letter  formation,  such  mental 
education  and  oral  description  cannot  be  unduly  emphasized. 
See  "  Study  and  comparison  of  work  by  pupils  "  in  model 
lesson,  pages  43-45. 

9.  The  scale  of  script  should  be  carefully  studied  this  year, 
so  that  the  final  work  in  the  heights  and  lengths  of  the  let- 
ters may  be  put  upon  the  pupil's  writing  (see  instruction 
on  pages  51-55). 

10.  Specimen  work  should  be  kept,  and  should  consist,  first, 
of  the  technical-movement  exercises  practiced,  and  secondly,  of 
the  regular  written  papers  of  the  class  room.  If  it  seems  to 
the  teacher  that  the  pupils'  penmanship  is  somewhat  better 
when  they  do  not  need  to  think  of  the  subject-matter,  a  sec- 
ond set  of  written  papers  should  be  laid  aside.  These  should 
represent  the  result  of  direct  teaching  and  practice  during 
any  writing  lesson,  or  they  should  be  copied  work  of  some 
kind.  When  this  writing  is  compared  with  any  written  school 
exercise,  there  should  be  but  slight  difference  noted. 

The  status  of  the  pupil  in  his  study  of  penmanship  at  the 
end  of  the  fourth  year  may  be  stated  as  follows : 


148  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

In  addition  to  the  details  noted  at  the  close  of  any  pre- 
vious year's  work  (for  first  year,  see  page  138 ;  for  second 
year,  see  page  140 ;  for  third  year,  see  page  143), 

1.  He  should  understand  what  is  meant  by  movement  in 
writing. 

2.  He  should  understand  for  what  this  movement  is  used. 

3.  He  should  be  able  to  execute  a  number  of  the  ten 
progressive  movement  exercises  noted  on  pages  84-96. 

4.  Practicing  these  exercises  ought  to  have  helped  him 
to  gain  good  control  of  his  arm. 

5.  He  should  have  perfected  his  manner  of  penholding. 

6.  In  his  study  of.  letter  formation  he  should  have  com- 
pleted copy  book  number  three. 

7.  He  should  have  memorized  the  basal  principles  of  the 
letters. 

8.  He  should  know  the  individual  letters  of  each  class. 

9.  He  should  be  able  to  state  clearly  the  most  important 
details  of  form  in  any  letter  he  has  studied. 

10.  His  written  work  should  show  notable  uniformity  in 
general  size  and  length  of  letters,  because  he  has  studied, 
practiced,  and  applied  every  detail  of  the  scale  of  script. 

11.  His  specimens  of  penmanship,  as  well  as  the  written 
exercises  of  the  class  room  which  have  been  laid  aside  at 
different  times  during  the  year,  should  progressively  show 
improvement  in  the  particulars  above  noted. 

Fifth  year's  work 

1.  Durmg  the  fifth  year  the  pupil  should  study  and  prac- 
tice the  application  of  movement  to  letters  and  words.  Be- 
cause of  this  new  work  any  writing  period  should  be  divided 
into  three  parts.    First,  the  study  of  technical  movement 


COURSE  OF  STUDY  149 

should  be  carried  forward  and  the  pupil  should  practice  con- 
ventional exercises  as  he  did  during  the  fourth  year;  thus 
better  control  of  the  forearm  will  be  secured.  Secondly,  the 
study  of  letter  formation  should  be  continued  in  order  that 
legibility  may  be  not  only  retained  but  greatly  improved. 
Thirdly,  movement  should  be  applied  to  writing  letters  and 
words  so  that  the  pupil  may  be  trained  to  write  and  not  to 
carve  script  forms. 

A  few  suggestions  as  to  the  teaching  of  these  things  may 
be  helpful. 

2.  Certain  technical  exercises,  such  as  the  lateral  slide, 
the  push-and-pull  vibratory  muscular  movement,  the  ellipses, 
and  any  of  these  arranged  in  combination,  should  be  con- 
tinued. In  addition  the  ellipses  and  "figure  eight"  with  hori- 
zontal axes,  as  well  as  the  figure  eight  with  a  main  slant  axis, 
should  be  practiced.  Any  of  these  last  mentioned  should  be 
made  in  combination,  or  in  combination  with  any  exercise 
first  mentioned  in  this  paragraph.  These  various  designs  will 
prove  restful  to  the  pupil  while  he  is  practicing  technical 
movement  to  gain  control  of  his  arm.  See  note,  bottom  of 
page  96.  The  teacher  should  assist  in  making  these  origi- 
nal figures. 

3.  The  study  of  letter  formation  this  year  should  include 
several  details : 

a.  If  any  pupil's  writing  tends  to  become  angular,  the  tend- 
ency should  be  corrected  (see  instructions  on  pages  72-74). 

h.  The  varied,  and  especially  the  more  difficult,  combina- 
tions of  letters  in  the  writing-book  copies  should  be  carefully 
studied.  Some  horizontal  joinings,  as  h,  v,  or  iv  with  e,  h 
with  y,  0  with  o,  d,  v,  and  s,  are  combinations  which  will 
furnish  material  for  special  practice. 


150  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

c.  This  will  lead  to  studying  the  space  between  any  two 
letters  of  a  word,  —  the  lateral  spacing  of  penmanship. 

4.  When  writing  copies  in  the  book  or  repeating  a  copy 
several  times  on  paper,  it  is  difficult  for  some  pupils  to  write 
each  succeeding  sentence  exactly  under  the  first  at  the  top  of 
the  page.  Hence  the  copies  grow  shorter  each  time  one  is 
written.  To  correct  this  tendency  ask  the  pupil  to  place  the 
upper  edge  of  his  practice  paper  immediately  under  the  printed 
copy  at  the  top  of  the  page.  The  left  side  of  this  paper  should 
be  vertically  under  the  capital  letter  with  which  the  sen- 
tence begins.  Ask  him  to  make  a  dot  on  the  upper  edge  of 
this  paper,  halfway  between  any  two  words  of  the  sentence, 
and  one  to  represent  the  period.  Direct  him  to  place  this 
dotted  edge  of  the  paper  just  under  every  line  on  which  he 
writes  that  particular  copy.  This  will  show  him  the  exact 
lateral  spacing  of  it,  as  well  as  the  proper  position  for  every 
period.  Hence  the  copies  will  be  of  equal  length  across 
the  page. 

This  placing  the  paper  under  the  pupil's  hand  will  also 
assist  in  keeping  the  page  of  the  book  clean. 

5.  Copy  book  number  four  should  be  completed.  The 
teacher  should  remember  that  one  third  of  the  time 
allowed  for  the  writing  lesson  this  year  is  to  be  devoted  to 
the  study  of  letter  formation  and  to  writing  in  the  book.  It 
will  be  well  for  her  to  estimate  the  number  of  pages  which 
must  be  written  each  week  to  accomplish  this  work. 

6.  Suggestions  for  the  application  of  movement  to  letter 
and  word  writing  are  given  in  great  detail,  beginning  on 
page  98.  The  teacher  is  advised  to  make  extended  use  of 
the  "  tracing  process  "  explained  on  that  page :  first,  in  mak- 
ing ellipses ;  secondly,  in  making  the  letter  n,  as  described 


COURSE  OF  STUDY  151 

on  pages  99  and  100  ;  and  thirdly,  in  writing  the  word  "  see  " 
as  instructed  at  the  bottom  of  page  100. 

7.  The  teacher  should  arrange  for  similar  practice  by  ap- 
plying the  "tracing  process"  to  other  letters  than  n.  She 
should  ask  the  pupil  to  learn  each  movement  and  to  name 
it  for  the  letter  which  it  forms.  See  "  Practical  application 
of  movement  to  written  forms,"  page  79. 

8.  The  "  tracing  process  "  should  be  extended  to  the  writ- 
ing of  other  words  than  "  see."  The  teacher  should  ask  the 
pupil  to  learn  each  movement  and  to  name  it  for  the  word 
which  it  writes.  See  "  Practical  application  of  movement  to 
written  words,"  page  80. 

9.  To  assist  the  pupil  to  use  movement  continuously  in 
written  work,  the  teacher  should  make  use  of  the  instruc- 
tion given  under  "Alternating  a  technical  exercise  with  written 
work,"  page  102. 

10.  Following  the  suggestions  noted  above,  the  teacher 
should  begin  the  plan  of  "  Application  of  spacing  across  the 
entire  width  of  the  paper  for  words  of  two  letters,"  on 
page  103.  She  should  read  carefully  the  notes  on  pages  105 
and  106.  She  should  extend  this  plan  by  applying  it  to 
words  of  three,  four,  five,  six,  seven,  and  eight  letters,  ac- 
cording to  the  grade  or  ability  of  the  pupils  taught.  In  all 
this  work  she  should  remember  the  five  directions  for  teach- 
ing application  of  movement  given  on  pages  85  and  107. 

11.  She  should  apply  this  plan  by  asking  the  pupil  to  write 
consecutively  words  of  from  two  to  eight  letters  in  length 
across  one  half  of  the  width  of  his  paper,  as  instructed  on 
page  107. 

12.  To  diminish  further  the  space  between  any  two  letters 
of  a  word,  she  should  ask  the  pupil  to  write  words  of  from 


152  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

two  to  eight  letters  in  length  across  one  quarter  of  the  width 
of  his  practice  paper,  as  instructed  on  page  110. 

13.  In  aU  this  work  of  application  of  movement  there  is 
one  very  important  way  in  which  the  teacher  should  help 
the  pupil.  She  should  count  for  him.  For  her  instruction  in 
this  particular  she  should  read  with  great  care  pages  121-125 
of  this  book.  Especial  emphasis  is  placed  upon  '^How  to 
count,"  on  page  122. 

14.  The  teacher  is  not  advised  to  attempt  to  teach  applied 
movement  to  sentence  writing  this  year  (see  exception  noted 
in  the  next  paragraph).  The  pupil  will  have  ample  practice 
in  applied  movement  in  the  variety  of  letters  and  words 
selected  by  the  teacher  (see  paragraphs  7-13  above).  This 
work  in  movement  is  to  be  developed  very  slowly. 

15.  The  pupil  should  be  encouraged  to  use  movement  in 
aU  his  written  work.  If,  as  a  result,  he  forms  the  habit  of 
moving  his  forearm  to  some  extent,  it  will  be  easier  to  make 
the  direct  application  of  movement  to  sentence  writing  during 
the  sixth  year. 

The  status  of  the  pupil  in  his  study  of  penmanship  at  the 
end  of  the  fifth  year  may  be  summed  up  as  follows : 

In  addition  to  the  details  noted  at  the  close  of  any  pre- 
vious year's  work  (for  first  year,  see  page  138 ;  for  second 
year,  see  page  140  ;  for  third  year,  see  page  143 ;  for  fourth 
year,  see  page  148), 

1.  He  should  be  able  to  do  various  teclmical-movement 
exercises :  first,  those  he  studied  last  year ;  second,  original 
combinations  (hence  designs)  of  his  own ;  and  third,  those 
suggested  by  his  teacher. 

2.  The  practice  just  noted  should  have  helped  him  to  gain 
a  great  control  of  his  forearm. 


COURSE  OF  STUDY  153 

3.  His  script  should  represent  proper  curvature  from  his 
particular  study  of  that  subject. 

4.  He  should  understand  how  letters  are  joined  in  words, 
and  particularly  the  most  difficult  combinations  of  letters. 

5.  He  should  understand  something  about  the  lateral 
spacing  of  penmanship. 

6.  He  should  be  able  to  write  a  series  of  repeated  copies 
directly  under  each  other. 

7.  He  should  have  completed  copy  book  number  four. 

8.  He  should  be  able  to  apply  movement  to  writing  letters 
and  words. 

9.  The  application  of  movement  to  words  should  first  be 
made  across  the  entire  page. 

10.  To  lessen  somewhat  the  space  between  any  two  letters 
of  a  word,  he  is  able  to  write  it  across  one  half  of  his  practice 
paper. 

11.  To  lessen  still  further  the  space  between  any  two  letters 
of  a  word,  he  is  able  to  write  the  word  across  one  quarter  of 
his  practice  paper.  He  should  follow  the  order  of  practice 
developed  in  paragraphs  10,  11,  and  12,  page  151,  when  first 
applying  movement  to  the  writing  of  any  word. 

12.  As  a  general  application  of  movement  to  written  work 
he  should  be  able  to  move  his  hand  to  some  extent  when 
writing  any  text. 

Sixth  year's  work 

The  new  work  to  be  studied  and  practiced  during  the  sixth 
year  is  the  application  of  movement  to  writing  sentences. 
The  writing  period  may  be  divided,  as  last  year,  into  three 
parts :  first  should  come  the  practice  of  a  technical-movement 
exercise ;  second,  the  study  of  letter  formation,  —  some  part 


154  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

of  the  copy  in  the  book  or  its  special  application;  third, 
the  application  of  movement  to  sentence  writing. 

If  the  teacher  prefers,  she  may  give  lessons  in  these  sub- 
jects on  alternating  days.  In  this  way  five  lessons  in  each 
would  be  given  every  three  weeks,  if  a  writing  lesson  is 
arranged  for  every  school  day. 

1.  The  same  suggestions  given  for  technical-movement 
exercise  practice  in  the  fifth  year  are  appUcable  to  similar 
work  this  year.  The  teacher  should  continue  to  design  new 
exercises  or  review  old  ones. 

Note.  It  is  necessary  for  the  pupil  to  carry  forward  this  technical 
practice  so  that  he  may  gain  greater  control  of  his  forearm,  and  in 
this  way  acquire  more  power  of  execution  in  writing.  Such  work  is 
as  important  as  it  is  for  an  accomplished  pianist  to  practice  contin- 
ually the  scales  and  other  technique. 

2.  In  studying  letter  formation  copy  book  number  five 
ought  to  be  completed  this  year. 

3.  As  the  pupil  gains  greater  ability  to  write  sentences 
by  using  applied  movement,  he  should  write  the  copies 
in  his  writing  book  in  the  same  manner.  This  will  give 
him  confidence  in  his  power  of  execution.  See  paragraph  2, 
page  101. 

If  the  pupil  uses  applied  movement  during  his  technical 
practice,  and  "  carves  "  his  script  when  he  writes  in  his  copy 
book,  he  would  be  as  inconsistent  as  if  he  used  correct  Eng- 
lish during  the  recitation  in  grammar  and  spoke  without  any 
regard  to  that  correctness  at  all  other  times. 

4.  It  will  prove  both  interesting  and  educative  for  pupils 
of  this  grade  to  study  the  construction  of  script  which  is 
explained  on  pages  49  and  50.  Such  instruction  should  be 
developed  slowly,  and  not  necessarily  in  consecutive  lessons. 


COURSE  OF  STUDY  155 

5.  The  letters  should  be  studied  with  reference  to  their 
similarity  of  form.  Suggestions  noted  on  page  40  and  at  the 
top  of  page  41  will  prove  helpful  in  this  particular.  Although 
these  deal  only  with  the  small  letters,  similar  work  should 
be  done  with  the  capitals. 

6.  "Teaching  script  by  measurement  and  comparison," 
page  46,  should  be  applied  to  letter  formation  this  year.  As 
each  character  is  so  studied,  the  pupil  should  memorize  its 
particular  proportions. 

7.  Blackboard  writing.  Unfortunately,  blackboard  writ- 
ing is  rarely  taught  to  grade  pupils,  and  it  is  a  mistake  not 
to  do  so.  To  see  the  result  of  this  neglect  it  is  only  necessary 
to  visit  the  average  schoolroom  and  look  at  the  boards  after  an 
exercise  in  language,  geography,  or  arithmetic  has  been  written 
there  by  the  pupils.  Such  poor  work  is  too  commonly  seen 
to  need  any  description.  It  is  this  character  of  writing  on  the 
boards  which  often  leads  to  the  same  quality  on  paper. 

If  there  is  any  one  instance  in  which  slovenly  writing 
should  never  be  allowed,  or  accepted  from  the  pupil,  this  is 
the  instance.  The  one  remedy  is  to  teach  pupils  how  to  write 
properly  on  the  board,  and  to  tolerate  nothing  which  is  in  the 
least  degree  untidy,  carelessly  executed,  or  poorly  arranged. 
They  should  be  taught  to  take  as  much  pride  in  the  general 
appearance  of  the  blackboards  as  they  would  in  the  walls  of 
the  parlor  in  their  own  homes. 

Complete  instructions  for  blackboard  writing  begin  on 
page  33. 

8.  It  is  of  great  importance  to  teach  the  numerals.  Eead 
how  this  should  be  done,  on  pages  55  and  56. 

9.  The  instruction  for  applying  movement  to  sentence 
writing  will  be  found  in  progressive  detail  on  pages  110 


156  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

to  114  This  should  not  be  forced,  and  advanced  practice 
should  be  given  only  as  the  proficiency  of  the  pupils  in  their 
present  practice  warrants. 

10.  The  teacher  must  not  forget  the  highly  important 
suggestion  given"  in  note  on  page  106. 

The  status  of  the  pupil  in  his  study  of  penmanship  at  the 
end  of  the  sixth  year  may  be  summed  up  as  follows : 

In  addition  to  the  details  noted  at  the  close  of  any  pre- 
vious year's  work  (for  first  year,  see  page  138 ;  for  second 
year,  see  page  140 ;  for  third  year,  see  page  143 ;  for  fourth 
year,  see  page  148 ;  for  fifth  year,  see  page  152), 

1.  His  technical-movement  exercise  practice  should  have 
given  him  so  much  greater  power  of  execution  that  his  script 
has  lost  much  of  its  former  crude  appearance  and  looks  more 
mature  as  a  finished  product. 

2.  While  writing  copy  book  number  five  he  should  have 
written  the  copies  in  the  book  by  using  applied  movement, 
since  he  is  studying  its  application  to  sentence  writing. 

3.  The  pupil's  knowledge  of  penmanship  has  been  extended 
to  include  more  of  its  technical  construction.  This  is  of  much 
assistance  to  him  in  forming  the  letters  with  a  greater  degree 
of  correctness  as  he  applies  movement  in  writing  them. 

4.  The  pupil  can  group  the  letters  according  to  their 
similar  formation. 

5.  The  pupil  knows  more  about  the  proportions  of  the 
letters  which  he  has  studied.  These  last  two  details  are  valu- 
able acquisitions,  for  each  is  of  great  importance  in  the  study 
of  applied  movement. 

6.  The  pupil's  blackboard  writing  should  have  shown 
much  improvement  this  year  because  of  special  study  in 
that  particular. 


COURSE  OF  STUDY  157 

7.  The  pupil  should  be  able  to  form  the  figures  accurately 
because  of  his  special  study  of  them  during  the  year. 

8.  The  pupil  should  be  able  to  write  (not  "carve")  sen- 
tences, continuing  at  least  twenty-four  letters  across  the 
paper.  It  must  be  remembered  that  during  the  first  work  of 
applied  movement,  open  lateral  spacing  is  necessary. 

9.  The  legibility  of  the  pupil's  writing  is  maintained  as  he 
writes  with  applied  movement. 

\  Seventh  and  eighth  year's  work 

The  suggestions  which  follow  should  be  used  in  teaching 
penmanship  in  the  seventh  and  eighth  grades.  The  years  are 
combined  for  two  reasons, — the  work  to  be  done  in  each  year 
is  very  similar,  and  it  frequently  occurs  that  less  time  is  de- 
voted to  this  study  in  these  grades  because  of  a  crowded 
curriculum.  In  this  last  case  the  regular  teacher  will  be 
more  competent  to  say  just  how  her  work  should  be  ar- 
ranged to  include  such  writing  lessons  as  it  may  be  desir- 
able to  give  than  any  prescribed  course  of  study. 

Undoubtedly  regular  lessons  can  be  given  during  the 
seventh  year ;  hence  the  amount  of  instruction  and  the  con- 
sequent practice  will  be  greater  than  in  the  eighth  year. 
Nevertheless,  it  is  strongly  urged  that  whatever  lessons  are 
planned  for  this  last  year's  work  shall  be  given  as  consecu- 
tively as  possible,  although  the  time  devoted  to  each  one 
may  be  limited.  This  is  far  better  than  to  have  a  longer 
lesson  with  a  greater  interval  of  time  between  any  two 
writing  periods. 

Some  of  the  most  important  matters  to  be  emphasized  are 
noted  below: 


158  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

1.  Continue  the  technical-movement  exercise  practice.  It 
may  not  be  necessary  to  do  so  to  such  an  extent  as  in  the 
fourth,  fifth,  and  sixth  years,  for  the  pupil  now  has  control 
of  his  arm  in  writing.  Hence  such  exercise  practice  may  be 
subordinated  to  other  work  next  mentioned,  but  it  should 
not  be  discontinued. 

2.  Continue  to  have  the  pupil  use  applied  movement  when 
he  writes  sentences.  For  technical  practice  the  teacher  should 
have  these  sentences  contain  as  many  letters  as  are  necessary 
to  gain  the  lateral  spacing  she  desires  between  any  two  in 
the  sentence. 

3.  One  important  matter  which  should  be  developed  in 
practical  application  is  the  use  of  applied  movement  in  writ- 
ing the  various  papers  of  the  class  room.  The  teacher  should 
thoroughly  acquaint  herself  with  the  plan  suggested  for  such 
work,  and  practice  it  sufficiently  to  be  able  to  assist  that  par- 
ticular pupil  for  whom  the  work  may  be  difficult.  The  plan 
is  simple  and  its  execution  not  beyond  the  ability  of  any 
teacher.  For  instructions  see  " Geography,"  page  114 ;  "His- 
tory," page  117;  "Spelling,"  page  119. 

Similar  work  should  be  arranged  by  the  teacher  for  the 
use  of  applied  movement  in  writing  language  lessons,  topic 
and  memory  gem  books. 

4.  The  second  important  subject  to  be  studied  is  "  Speed 
work"  (for  instructions  in  this  see  pages  125-127). 

5.  In  connection  with  speed  work,  and  for  its  application, 
there  is  nothing  better  to  practice  than  the  numerals  (see 
"Making  figures,"  page  120 ;  see  also  pages  55  and  56). 

6.  Blackboard  writing  is  important  in  the  seventh  year,  and 
even  more  so  during  the  eighth  year,  because  copy-book  prac- 
tice is  sometimes  intermittent  during  this  last  year.    If  this  is 


COURSE  OF  STUDY  159 

the  case,  there  is  no  better  way  of  maintaining  the  excellence 
of  letter  formation  than  by  means  of  the  pupil's  blackboard 
writing.    Such  work  will  help  him  to  write  better  on  paper. 

7.  The  copy  book  usually  written  during  the  seventh  or 
eighth  year  contains  business  and  social  forms  and  commer- 
cial correspondence.  It  is  well  to  refer  to  these  forms  for 
their  intrinsic  educational  value,  but,  above  all,  the  technical 
application  should  be  the  insistence  that  similar  papers  must 
be  written  legibly  and  rapidly.  To  this  end  practice  on  such 
models  should  be  given  first  in  connection  with  the  study  of 
language,  and  secondly  in  arithmetic  or  bookkeeping.  Em- 
phasize that  high  standard  during  the  writing  hour,  and  ac- 
cept nothing  below  that  standard  in  such  written  exercises 
of  the  class  room. 

8.  Technical  review  work.  It  is  well  known  by  teachers  that 
occasionally  pupils  develop  in  their  work  something  which  is 
entirely  foreign  to  what  they  were  long  ago  taught  and  had 
mastered.  In  this  respect  the  study  of  penmanship  is  no  ex- 
ception. If  anything  of  such  a  character  is  noticed  during 
these  years,  it  should  be  corrected.  The  best  way  to  do  this 
is  to  study  again  the  fundamental  principles  on  which  that 
thing  in  which  they  failed,  is  based.  The  teacher  should  not 
think  it  beneath  her  dignity  or  that  of  high-grade  pupils  to 
do  such  review  work.  She  should  be  governed  only  by  the 
need  of  the  class. 

9.  To  make  further  application  of  the  study  of  letter  for- 
mation, extend  the  plan  mentioned  on  page  142,  paragraphs  1, 
2,  and  3,  in  the  following  manner : 

Write  a  copy  on  the  board,  teach  it,  and  under  careful 
supervision  have  the  class  write  it  three  times  on  paper. 
Then,  for  example,  ask  a  series  of  questions  in  geography: 


160  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PENMANSHIP 

"  Wliatis  the  capital  of  this  state?";  "Name  six  counties  in 
the  state " ;  "  Give  the  location  of  three  of  the  largest  cities 
in  this  state."  The  answers  to  these  questions  and  others  of 
like  character  are  to  be  written  as  well  as  the  standard  in 
penmanship  which  the  pupil  has  set  for  himself  in  writing 
the  repeated  copy  of  the  writing  lesson  at  the  top  of  the  page. 

A  final  word  to  teachers 

It  should  be  remembered  that  there  are  but  fifty-two  letter 
forms,  with  their  different  combinations,  and  ten  figures  to 
learn  how  to  make.  Almost  every  pupil  has  an  opportunity  to 
acquire  these  by  means  of  writing  lessons  extending  through 
seven  or  eight  years  of  school  life, —  an  ample  amount  of  time. 

There  is  nothing  suggested  in  this  book  which  the  teacher 
cannot  teach,  or  which  is  too  difficult  for  the  average  pupil 
to  acquire.  Success  will  depend  on  having  a  definite  plan 
by  which  to  teach,  and  on  developing  that  plan  slowly  and 
gradually  and  requiring  the  pupil  to  master  each  successive 
step.  In  this  way  his  writing  will  improve,  and  continual 
attainment  will  become  the  ever-broadening  foundation  upon 
which  he  builds.  Nothing  less  than  all  this  can  be  called 
teaching  peninanship. 

Be  thorough.  Educational  history  contains  many  an  ex- 
ample of  a  boy  who  has  been  taught  much  less  than  another, 
but  who  has  applied  every  detail  of  that  instruction  and  step 
by  step  built  up  for  himself  a  practical  education  which  he 
knew  how  to  use. 

The  second  boy  was  given  superficial  work  in  many  studies 
and  was  not  properly  trained  in  any  one.  This  experience  was 
to  him  what  might  be  called  an  educational  escalator,  to  help 
him  up  through  the  successive  grades  of  school.   When  years 


COURSE  OF  STUDY  161 

had  elapsed  a  vacant  brain  and  inability  to  apply  demon- 
strated his  mediocre  education  at  the  tremendous  price  of 
wasted  time.  Penmanship  has  too  commonly  been  taught  (?) 
in  this  manner,  and  the  result  is  everywhere  apparent. 

Be  clear  in  stating  your  instruction,  and  persistent  in  teach- 
ing. If  the  pupil  fails  to  grasp  the  instruction  when  it  is 
first  presented,  instead  of  thinking  him  an  idiot,  remember 
that  there  is  more  than  one  way  of  teaching  a  thing.  Try  to 
discover  why  he  failed  the  first  time,  then  teach  this  subject 
in  a  little  different  manner,  and  doubtless  success  will  follow. 

It  is  well  to  impress  the  pupil  with  the  fact  that  writing 
as  well  as  history  is  in  the  course  of  study ;  that  although 
he  wants  to  earn  100  per  cent,  or  E,  in  his  written  exercise 
in  history,  there  is  little  glory  in  winning  this  at  the  expense 
of  lowering  his  standard  in  penmanship ;  hence  it  is  also  im- 
portant to  get  an  equal  rank  in  penmanship.  He  should  be 
reminded  that  if  he  writes  poorly,  the  teacher  may  make  a 
mistake  in  correcting  his  composition,  in  which  case  the  fault 
would  be  his  and  in  no  manner  would  she  be  responsible. 
He  must  also  understand  that  if  he  should  write  any  school 
exercise  poorly,  the  teacher  would  consider  it  little  less  than 
an  inexcusable  imposition.  The  school  committee  employ  her 
to  correct  the  subject-matter  of  any  such  paper,  and  do  not 
require  her  to  spend  extra  hours  in  deciphering  scribbled 
penmanship  before  she  can  do  so. 

If  the  pupil  is  required  to  govern  himself  by  these  sug- 
gestions, the  written  papers  of  the  class  room  will  be  immeas- 
urably improved. 

Finally,  give  some  time  to  the  study  and  practice  of  pen- 
manship, plan  your  writing  lessons  for  the  pupils,  then 
TEACH  from  your  experience  and  plan. 


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